The Walking Dead: Hakima
by Javamonsoon
Summary: Returning to Atlanta, the arabic-american Hakima soon finds herself on the path of self-destruction as the Zombie-outbreak interupts her life. Strong language, controversial topics, brutal actions and loathsome people. Also, zombies. Rated 18 and up. The reader is sufficiently warned. Don't blame me if you feel violated in your convictions. I won't care.
1. Planes, trains and old ladies

**1. Planes, trains and old ladies.**

How long has she been on this train home? It seemed to be long enough for her to recognize faces as familiar as she made her way through the gangway back to her seat after she had found some privacy to place a phonecall. Trains, she figured, were a bad way to travel. The only thing trains had over planes was that they don't come falling out of the sky if something were to happen.

Sure, airtravel is supposed to be very safe, as airline-companies are all too happy to advertize, but how often do you hear about train-disasters where everybody dies because the train crashed into a mountain and rescue-services couldn't reach them? How often do you hear about trains being rerouted because they can't land on their destination due to bad weather?

So, it takes a day longer to get where you need to be. Fuck it. Read a book.

Her father had a miniature railway set up in a spare room. He was always tinkering with it, building houses, creating landscapes. Come to think of it, she couldn't remember one time in which her father had just been sitting at his railway and letting his trains run. Maybe that was one step too far into a childhood he had left behind, she never had thought of asking her father.

Maybe she should.

It was ironic to her that she had to ride a real train. When she reached her seat, a little hint of a smile was on her lips, something the old lady that occupied a seat next to her and at the window picked up upon.

"My, that's a lot better than that stern face you've been showing. You remind me of my own daughter when she was your age. Always angry. A young lady didn't join the army in those days, but I guess that if she'd had half the chance she would have done just that."

"That's nice, ma'am. I'm sure she'd had made a good marine."

"If you don't mind my asking, I know about black people, white people, yellow people and native red people, but you don't seem to fit any of those-"

"-And you're wondering what inferior race I am, ma'am?"

"My, I just-"

"-Making conversation, ma'am?"

She sighed. She guessed she couldn't really blame the old lady next to her. Old people are like old oaks, set in their ways. Like her father. Retired for years now, still getting up at four AM like he did all his life. Getting ready to work his job at the city's sanitary services.

Still making breakfast for three, for himself, his wife and herself, his daughter. He probably still does that, even though his wife was long gone and his daughter was off going around the world being a marine-sniper.

Then he would clean up and go get the morning-news from the news-stand not too far away and return home. Read that paper from front to back and make lunch.

Spending the afternoon tinkering with his model trainset and have dinner. Then spend the evening watching newsshows on the television.

Just an old oak, set in his ways.

"My parents are from Turkey, ma'am. I was born here."

"I see. I meant no offense, understand. You're wearing the uniform of those that protect us. That makes you a red-blooded american in my book."

"If that's what it takes to be part of the club, I hate to think what kind of initiation the girl-scouts have."

The old lady let go of a dignified lady-like laugh, "My, I think you're being a silly goose now, dear. May I ask what your name is?"

"Gunay, Hakima Gunay. Pleased to make your aquaintance, ma'am."

"Are you taking a vacation, dear? I can't think of a militairy base near Atlanta, but then again, I never had much interest in that. Fighting is for the men. I clip coupons and worry about my children and grandchildren."

Hakima smiled.

Her own mother used to clip coupons. She always was talking about how they had to have her father's salary last five weeks instead of four, because a month is never exactly four weeks. Her mother puzzled and turned over every penny twice, but she left a house in order when she passed away. Hakima enlisted to help with the finances on one hand, and on the other hand to get fighting training for the gang she had been in since her twelfth.

Her parents just thought that the gang were kids she was friends with. But the 'Incountry Terrorists' were anything but a harmless club of friends. Surrounded by bigger gangs that fought for control of the Atlanta city-blocks, the IT-gangbangers were defiantly holding out against pressure from all sides.

Hakima was small and quick on her feet, dexterous and quickwitted. She also was a natural dead-eye. Her instructors would say she could shoot the hairs of a fly flying free.

It was that same nimbleness that had kept her from being arrested nummerous times, always one step ahead of the police. She developed her own version of free running over time, allowing her to stay away from cops weighed down by equipment trying to chase down a small girl who wore nothing but high-tops, capris and a high-cut tanktop. She flowed like water and was swift like the wind.

The best profile the police had on her was that she was probably a girl.

Enlisting with the Marine Corps wasn't difficult at all.

Now her contract was served and she was offered a more permanent tenure with the Marines. But Hakima needed to think things over. Her father wasn't getting any younger and shielded as he had been from the business-end of having a household and despite Hakima's aid, the bills were backing up. And the gang would be happy to learn everything she had learned. They would be getting an edge over the other gangs out there.

And the Marines as a career? It hadn't seriously crossed her mind yet. Hakima had a hard time picturing herself as a career-woman. She saw herself more as an odd-jobs kind a person, the kind of odd-jobs people do on the down-low.

The last four years were good. But you can make money a lot faster without looking at getting checked out in some far away country. As long as you're willing to die for it, Uncle Sam provides. But if you rather stay alive, Uncle Sam slaps you with laws and taxes and bleeds you dry till you can't give anymore. And then you become homeless and drink cheap booze from a bottle hidden in a brown paper bag on the corner of 7th and Main.

Uncle Sam is in it for himself. He grinds meat and calls it necessary. You proudly carry Ol' Glory and fight for liberty and justice for all. You believe that shit. When you're willing to do that, Uncle Sam smiles at you and doesn't cut corners on the details.

Hooyah!

Actually, Hakima was surprised at herself that she even lasted the four years. A dishonorable discharge, in her perspective, would've been more to the point. But she enjoyed it. Amongst all her urban survival skills and her natural nimbleness, her talent for marksman-ship was as much a surprise to her as it had been to her instructors and later on her superiors. The professional praise she had received for it was every bit earned and justified. It gave her a sense of worth and boosted her self-confidence, something which she had in abundance already, but more of it never hurts.

Another talent she discovered and carefully honed during her time with the Marines was being a stone-cold killer. Hakima could turn any battlefield into her personal killzone without her heartrate significantly increasing.

A psychopath in a green uniform is an effective soldier, afterall.

Hakima had the commendations to proof it.

The old lady next to her was talking about how things used to be, but it didn't bother Hakima that much. Somehow, she had the feeling that things were heading to a turning-point. As if she was about to turn a new leaf. Something more than deciding on becoming Uncle Sam's favorite pet or a petty-criminal gangbanger.

"So tell me, dear, are all turkish girls as pretty as you are?"

Hakima sharply turned her head to the old lady, looked at her and bursted out laughing.

When she sobered, she replied, "Only if they work for it, ma'am."

Pretty soon, the train would roll into Atlanta.


	2. Of cabbies and cops

**2. Of cabbies and cops.**

"Hey, general, the road is backed up ahead and it doesn't look like we'll be going anywhere anytime soon."

"I'm not a General and isn't it a little late for rush-hour?"

"General, in this city it's a little late for anything. If I'm not washing blood off of the backseat at the end of my shift, it's been a good day."

"Outstanding, but I'm not looking for a cynical expose on Atlanta. If you insist on calling me by a rank, use the correct one. It's Corporal. Can you see what's going on?"

"There's something going on ahead, I can't really tell."

Hakima tried to look around, but her vision was blocked by other cars. She sighed, "Well shucks. It seems I'll have to make my way on foot then."

"General, why don't you stay put? There seems to be definately something going on and all the ranks in the world don't mean shit against five guys pinning you to the floor and a sixth waving his dick around."

"Outstanding, now you're a cynical humanitarian. Sounds like an oxymoron to me."

"That's a big word coming from a military type."

"Cute."

"No big. It's not often I drive someone around who instantly classes up my cab. Don't really know how to talk to you."

"Try just talking. And if it is so dangerous out there, shouldn't you roll up your window?"

"General, didn't you hear the news?"

"It's Corporal. And no, I've been buttoned downed in a train for the last two days. I've been reading glossies and swapped warstories with an elderly lady named Gladys."

"Then I've some 'intel' for you, General."

Hakima rolled her eyes at 'intel', "'ight. Give me the lay of the land, spymaster."

"For the last three days or so, there has been reports about an epidemic spreading like wildfire. It's not really alarming, just confusing you know, like no one really knows what's going on?"

"So, there's a bug going around. Ever since my father retired from the Municipal, Atlanta's been getting dirtier by the second. At least, he says so. Anyway, this place is one big incubator at the best of it. Even the common cold is an epidemic here."

"I heard rumors that this is going on everywhere. Not just Atlanta."

"Everywhere, as in world-wide?"

"Seems that way."

"Pandemics happen. Just nature restoring balance. Get inoculated at your local clinic and call it a day."

"Smart advise right there. Listen, General, do you know anything of this? Bioweapon got loose or anything?"

"So now you're a cynical humanitarian conspiracy theorist?"

"All of that, I talk to all kinds of people all the time. Everybody is holding a piece of the truth and-"

Hakima wasn't really sure what happened. Something or someone just lurched in through the open window and attacked the cabby. The cabby was screaming and trying to defend himself while his attacker was growling and...

...and was trying to eat the cabby's face off.

Hakima was not fazed. A switch in her head just flipped to combat-mode as she watched the attacker ripping the flesh of the cabby's face. Whatever it was, it was now trying to get to her, growling and attempting to grab her but Hakima was out of its grasp.

"Outstanding, a zombie-apocalypse. Someone call Kirkman. So, tell me, are you a Romero-zombie or are you the stupid tool using intelligent, running and swimming, let's one-up-Romero kind?", Hakima started to unbutton her uniform while being glad she had refused to stick her weekender in the trunk. Now she was able to switch into her fatigues and combat-boots.

The thing stuck between the cabby and her kept on growling and trying to grab her, while she kept on undressing until she was just in her finery.

"Somehow I knew 'rawr' was all you would have to say. After you eat someone you've just met, what's there left to say?", Hakima opened her weekender and collected the pieces from it that would round out her battledress, "Damn, I wish I'd taken my body-armor along. It's going to be hard to find one that fits me in the wild. So, zombie, are there sparkling zombies? Because if there are, I'm just going to tell myself to wake up."

"Rawr"

While Hakima donned her gear, she started to pay attention to what was going on around her. It sounded like chaos. But it also sounded like that chaos was receeding.

Then suddenly a little flat hand slapped against a window and Hakima turned her attention to it. A frightened face belonging to a little girl peered in. There was unspeakable horror in her eyes and her cheeks were tear-streaked.

Their eyes locked. Hakima, frozen in her action of buttoning up her camo-shirt and the girl outside just looking at her with confusion and horror. A smile came on Hakima's face as she looked at the girl and then the realisation that she should act. Get that girl off the street and into the cab.

Just as Hakima was about to open a sidedoor, two things, seemingly out of nowhere, descended on the little girl outside.

"Okaaaayyy...", was all Hakima was able to say after the sounds of screaming, growling and feasting right next to the cab had died down, "Register, acknowledge and file it away, Corporal", she said to herself, "Time to suit up and take names. Ah, my cover."

She put her cap firmly on her head. It had her rank-insignia on the front.

"The Marines have landed, zombie. Well, one of them anyway. First in, last out, from the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoly and all that. Ever heard of the Marines-Apocalypse? No? That's what happens when you piss us off. Wait a second..."

Hakima looked around her again, "Why am I not being attacked? Just look at that... Could it be you, my little windowshopping zombie? Did you claim me or something? You're one big 'hands off' sign, aren't you? By the way, not being safe in a car is very un-Romero. You disappoint me."

"Rawr"

"Don't apologize, zombie. Have some self-respect. Say, is that gunshop a few blocks down still in business? The Democrats were trying to have it closed if memory serves. Or, at the very least relocated away from the schoolzone. Do you know?"

"Rawr"

"Outstanding. Look, this has been a nice first date. Allah knows I've dated guys who had less to say than you. I mean, even a vibrator buzzes at least. You know how it is. I'm confident and strong. It's a buzz-kill for any guy who's just looking for a lay that doesn't land them in jail for soliciting. Anyway, I don't think we shouldn't take this any further. I mean, just imagine you introducing me to your family? By now, I fear your family is quite extensive and think of the scandal it would create. A nice upstanding zombie like yourself bringing home a living girl. Now, now, don't get emotional. I mean, we didn't even get to first base. That's all right. Don't worry, that happens. But you see, I need to go. With luck, my collegues will have rallied and I have to link up. Some advise though, next time, bring flowers. For most girls, that's worth at least first base. Bye now."

With that, Hakima opened a portar and flowed out of the cab. The stench outside was bad, but it was not so bad as it had been in the cab. She just made the mistake to, as a reflex, inhale deeply to get some fresh air into her lungs.

"Damn, that's foul. All right, weapons first, then father.", she quickly looked around to get her bearings and then set off. Neither running nor walking, she halfy double-timed. It was a locomotion she used when she was trying to get to higher ground. It didn't look like a way a human would move, so the idea was that an enemy trying to spot her would react a little later than they normally would. She had no idea if it worked as in the past bullet-impacts would still be too close for comfort, but all in all, the worst injury she ever had sustained was a busted wrist after falling off a toiletbowl trying to do her business in a less than sober state.

As she was going along, she heard terrified screaming, zombified growling and the sounds of what she had earlier identified as feasting coming from everywhere. She registered, acknowledged and filed it away. Going up against a zombie-horde bare-handed is suicide. Hakima just kept going.

Even when a male-voice called her by name, she kept going. She wondered briefly how anyone could recognize her after four years of not having been in Atlanta. The voice sounded like Faysal, one of the 'IT'-lieutenants. She had carried stuff for him in the past.

Hakima fleetingly considered asking Faysal for weapons but the 'IT' was just a small time gang. It was best to move on. So she did.

After a while she rounded a corner and was in front of the gunshop that was under scrutiny by democratic activists. Or had been.

It seemed moot to Hakima now.

The storefront was already smashed and there was a lot of commotion going on inside. It didn't sound like the zombies were in there. This were looters.

"Okay, here goes.", Hakima murmered and then louder, "Stand down in there! US-Marines! Coming in!"

She didn't show herself immedeately and a strung out male voice yelled, "Shit, the army is here! They're gonna kill us for looting!", and after that they unloaded at Hakima's position.

"Marines, not army... okay, four shooters.", Hakima murmered, "Good odds, considering the alternative. Now to find out the next order of business."

She looked around and her eye fell on a hubcap. It was not too far away from her and she could easily reach it without exposing herself.

"'Ello, gov'ner.", she murmered as she quickly reached and got hold of the hubcap, "How would you like to punch out as a frisbee?"

In one fluid motion, she straightened, threw in the hubcap as one would a frisbee and was back in cover again.

"One in the fore-left, three in the back to the right behind show-and-tells.", She murmered, "Amateurs. They're in a bad tactical position and one of them was holding his gun gangsta. They're lucking out if they're not hitting the wall behind them. I'm as safe as sunday in the park."

Hakima could not remember when she started murmering to herself. It was something she did to keep track of what was going on. If she murmered to herself, it heightened her concentration. It gave her the nick 'Whisper' during basic training and the nick had stuck with her ever since then. It even was her callsign during operations. She prefered people shorthanding her name to Haki, however. 'Whisper' had never sat well with her.

Then, without pre-amble, she threw herself at the storedoor, crashed in and was upon the shooter on the left.

Grabbing his gunhand and flowing behind him, she turned the both of them towards the three hiding behind the vitrines and forced her captive to fire his gun at his buddies. One of them managed to get a shot off that hit her captive with a wet-sounding crunch, but after that, it was over.

Hakima pushed her captive away from her, while securing his gun. It was a Glock.

"Stupid fuck! Didn't I identify as a US-Marine?", Hakima asked with a voice that even to her sounded very detached and calculatingly cold. The former shooter was lying on the floor, moaning and clutching his belly. He would be dead soon.

"No matter. This stock is now the property of the United States Government."

"Says who?"

Hakima swiveled around and brought her newly aquired Glock to bear and instantly recognized the tell-tale stance of a police-officer.

"Corporal Gunay, US-Marines. Haven't seen anyone ranked higher, so I'm in charge. Problems, soldier-blue?"

"Easy does it, Corporal. I'm Police-sergeant Williams. I saw you taking out these looters. Impressive work."

Hakima smirked, "Nothing I didn't encounter before. So, officer.., what's happening out there? I just got here myself, see."

"Before I answer that, show me some I.D. For all I know, you're just a fucked up kid with a military fetish."

Hakima giggled as she searched the store for anything useful, "Right on all counts, officer. On the floor, to your left is my weekender. My ID is in one of the side pockets. The one that does not hold my tampons."

Officer Williams got on a knee and searched several pockets on the weekender with trained hands. Hakima watched him working, "You know, you saw me taking these looters out and you still need confirmation that I am who I say that I am. That's a major turn-off."

"We're not dating, Corporal. If I find out that you're a civilian playing Marine, we're looking at three counts of murder-one and one count of involuntary manslaughter, amongst other things.", Williams rose and turned slowly towards Hakima, "Now, if you please, produce your ID, slowly, because I will fuck you up and add obstruction to the list."

"It's in the left top-pocket here, officer. You'll have to touch my boobs to get it. Sure you're okay with that?"

"Why don't you take it out, nice and slow, and show it to me. This doesn't have to be any harder than it needs to be."

"Oh relax, allready.", Hakima sighed and took her ID from the left pocket on her slacks.

"Somehow I figured it wouldn't be up there too.", Williams grumbled, "I have to ask, why are you playing games? Careful handing that ID over, easy does it."

"I'm not playing games, officer, you are. Outside, zombies are eating people and they don't care if it are adults that they're eating, or children. I'm in here solving a problem that is totally not worth your time in the grand scheme of things. Just saying."

Officer Williams inspected the ID, "That weekender tells me you're on leave. And your ID tells me you're an Atlanta-belle. Returning home, are you?"

"That's it, I've indulged you long enough.", Hakima was upon officer Williams so fast he barely had a chance to react. Years of experience and training kicked in a little too slow and the struggle was a one-sided affair in favor of Hakima. In a matter of seconds, Williams was prone on the floor, restrained with his own handcuffs. He watched his assailant picking up her cap and her ID. Powerless to do anything, Williams cursed with heartfelt conviction.

"Language.", Hakima scolded, "I have taken two Glocks, 5 boxes of the appropiate rounds and a few loaded mags to go. If you still want to make an issue out of this, you know my name and rank. File a complaint if you have to, but if you're smart you cut your losses, get out of here and do what you are supposed to do. That weddingband you're carrying? Go and make sure your family is safe. Now I'm going to take your keys and remove your handcuffs. Do we have report?"

Williams sighed, "We do."

Hakima freed Williams and helped him on his feet, "Here, your cuffs and keys. And don't take it too hard, officer. You never had a chance."

"Wait, before I pretend this never happened.., why didn't you just leave me?"

Hakima smiled, "YOLO.", and with that, she picked up her weekender and left Williams to his own devices.


	3. Turn, turn, turn

**3. Turn, turn, turn**

Every step Hakima took brought her deeper into zombie-territory as she made her way to her parental home. Her senses heightened, she automatically adjusted her going to create less sound as the chaotic noise seemed to have died down considerably since she had left the cab.

She had spotted a lot of zombies, but most of them seemed to be going in some sort of agreed upon direction, towards a goal she couldn't identify. Others were just standing there, growling or grasping at nothing.

She had no opinion of it, she merely filed it away as information that might become useful later on.

Hakima entered the building her father lived in the apartment were they had lived all their lives, as far as Hakima could remember. Her parents had both been very practical people and believed that moving house without any other reason than a change of scenery was the folly of the rich. And even if they'd had more kids than just her, there would still have been bunkbeds over moving house.

Cautiously, Hakima climbed the stairs. She was holding one of her Glocks, but not in the double-handed moviestyle. Her gunhand was hanging relaxed at her side, loosely holding the Glock as if it could slip her grip at any moment.

It was her way of handling guns and rifles. She could bring her weapons to bear so fast it even startled people who were prepared and saw her coming.

Reportedly, during an operation in the middle-east, a superior had said, "Let's invite death, get me Whisper.", and the officers around him swallowed and stepped back in fear.

Silly story, of course and Hakima wondered why that campfire-story suddenly played in her mind as she slowly worked her way up the stairs. She should be thinking about the next step up the stairs, not about random stuff while climbing them.

But that's how it had always been for her. She could do one thing, something that would require her fullest attention and still think about other things. Like when she won a bet once by writing on two pieces of paper simultaniously with a pen in her left hand and and one in her right hand, without looking at the pieces of paper. She was a freak of nature.

"'ight. Look ahead, scan don't stare and slowly keep on go.", Hakima murmered. She froze mid-motion when she heard something, "The building is settling, not the sound you're listening for."

Slowly she finished her motion and took a while. No other sounds. The building was dead-silent. Hakima remembered the noise that had always been present here in this building. Fragments of music, fighting couples, crying children, someone playing electric guitar. Sounds that breathe live into a building. The absence of those sounds made the building a lot more frightening than it needed to be.

Hakima came upon her floor and the door of the apartment where she was raised.

The door was loose.

She brought her pistol up and opened the door further with her left hand. She waited a while and then slowly entered. The apartment was over-turned. Furniture toppled, shelves emptied and their contents littered on the floor.

Hakima didn't feel anything. It was nothing she hadn't seen before in some warzone or other and the fact that this was her parental home didn't enter the equation. Slowly, but steadily Hakima checked the apartment. Not a room was forgotten by whoever it had been who'd looted her parental home. Hakima was sure it must have been someone who knew her father lived here alone for the last four years. She had not seen other forced-open doors in the building yet. It didn't matter. With a bit of luck, the person who had done this was a zombie by now. Or just plain dead. And if not, the stupid fuck didn't know that the man's daughter, the man who's house he was looting, was a kick-ass Marine. Alive, that looter had better look over his shoulder for the rest of it.

The last door she needed to open was to the room where her father had his model railway. Gingerly, Hakima placed her right ear to the door and listened. No sound.

She opened the door, peeked and sighed. The she secured her pistol and pocketted it.

Her father lay dead on the ground, next to his smashed railway.

"Well, at least the looter spared you from witnessing the endtimes, father. That's a good thing.", Hakima shrugged, "I can't stay. I'm sure that when the City pulls their shit together, they'll clean up the bodies at some point. Right now, we have to figure this out and mount something of a defense. You know what, I'll stay the night. It's getting dark already and the world isn't exactly a place where a girl can prance around after dark outside. You'd argue it never was, but I always were faster than the world. Don't worry about me. Don't worry about Allah too. You were a good man and a great father. Whatever trouble I got into before the Marines wasn't your fault, though I know you always blamed yourself. So, whatever Allah's deal is when you see him, do right by yourself as you did by mother and I. I'll be in the livingroom if you need anything."

Hakima turned around and made her way to the livingroom, where she cleared a recliner and moved it so it faced at once the corridor towards the other rooms and the main-entry. She sat down, sighed and stopped moving. Just like on a mission, Hakima didn't move a muscle for hours. From the looks of it, one would wonder if she even had a conscious thought during that time.

By the time the sun rose, Hakima rose from the chair and straightened her fatigues. For a while now, growls and the noise of something clawing at a door came from the back of the apartment. Hakima had heard it, but had not reacted to it. She moved over to the main-entry and started to leave, then hesitated. She looked back into the corridor and got her pistol. But she did not move into the corridor.

For minutes she just looked in the direction of the growling and clawing sounds.

"Farewell, father."

She left.


	4. Maybe it'll smell like victory

**4 Maybe it'll smell like victory**

Out on the street, Hakima didn't really know where to go next. The gang she was in almost certainly wouldn't exist anymore, getting deeper into the city would be foolish. If the army would try to get a foothold into the city then the discounter at the outskirts of Atlanta would be an obvious choice. Enough room on the parkinglot for both a command center and medical triage. And honest grub without being branded a looter herself.

It was dead-silent. No sounds of anything warning of an impending zombie-stampede or telling of a concerted military relief-effort.

Surely, someone at Cityhall must have gotten on some red telephone somewhere and told someone.

It was as Hakima had guessed, as she made her way towards the discounter, she started to see barb-wire barricades and national guard humvees. But no sign of life. Or unlife for that matter.

The ground at the barricade was littered with spend rounds, small arms rounds mostly. But no bodies anywhere.

"Not right... A battle was fought here and there's no way they could've cleaned that up already. I sat point for eight hours to the mark..."

From behind a humvee she heard moaning. With her pistol drawn, but held in her own loose style, Hakima carefully sliced the pie around it. Trapped between the barbwire barricade and the humvee was a National Guard soldier. A weekend-warrior, Hakima mused, a slave to the system who plays at soldiering to get away from his tyrant-wife and asshole-kids. Look what that got him. He probably had to plea for weeks before he was even allowed by his bitch-ass wife to become a National Guard.

"Soldier, are you able?"

The guard didn't right away acknowledge Hakima's presence.

"Yo, toy-soldier, eyes on me."

Still no response from the guard. He just kept on moaning and staring straight ahead.

"Outstanding. I can't really see what's wrong, so I'm gonna back the humvee up a bit. You just be stuck like you are, 'kay? 'kay."

"Don't start... t-the."

"So the drama. Don't start what, army-barbie?"

"T-the walkers.., t-they, t-they..."

"Walkers? What? The zombies? Do we call them walkers now? What happens if I start the Humvee?"

"Noise.., t-they react to noise. T-they come..."

"By the moons, quit stammering, man. This isn't a hollywood movie. Be a man."

"I s-stutter... A-always h-have."

"Outstanding. So I'll push the humvee back. Soundlessly so.", without waiting for the trapped guard to string together something coherent, Hakima opened the nearest portar on the humvee and reached in to set the gearing at neutral after quickly glancing around to see if the humvee was vacant. Then she rounded the humvee again and positioned herself left shoulder first against the front-end of the humvee. Just as she was about to push the humvee backwards, Hakima noticed something.

"Fuck you say? You're not stuck at all!"

She returned to the side of the humvee where the guard was laying on the ground. Grabbing the man unkindly by the neck she dragged him clear of the humvee and the barbwire barricade.

"Allah be witness, you better be injured, you bitch-ass deserter."

"I-it's w-walker-blood. T-the w-walkers i-ignored m-me."

"I know they ignore you when another 'walker' is attacking you and they can't get to you otherwise, but this I didn't know. Get in the humvee, coward, show me where Command is."

"I-I'm no c-coward!", defended the guard while he got on his feet, pointedly not helped by Hakima.

"Really? Hiding under a humvee, playing at being seriously wounded. Could've fooled me."

"I-it's over. D-don't y-you see? A-atlanta is l-lost!"

Hakima rolled her eyes at the guard, "Yeah, yeah. It's the end of the world and I feel fine. Get in the humvee, will you?"

"W-why don't y-you believe m-me?", the guard asked as they got into the humvee, Hakima at the wheel.

"S-shut up", shot Hakima back, mimicking the guard's impairment. She operated the board-radio with trained hands, "Emergency, emergency. Scout sniper, callsign Whisper. Have recovered a National Guard rifleman with important information. Request extraction."

"S-seriously? T-those fatigues a-are for r-real?"

"Whisper, this is Command Actual. Extraction denied. Confirm."

"Command Actual. Confirmed, repeat confirmed. Request cut-off point."

It was eerily silent on the radio for a while.

"Whisper. Two hours. Confirm."

"Command Actual, Confirmed, repeat, confirmed. Good luck, Whisper out."

Hakima let go of the mick and leaned back in her seat and then stretched like a cat, "Okay, plastic-soldier. Where's the contrabande?"

"C-contrabande?"

"Come on, you're make-belief soldiers. There's gotta be booze and smokes stashed away in this ride."

"N-not cool. Y-you're l-like my daughter."

"Let me guess, you have an overbearing wife too, right?"

"W-what? NO!"

"Forget it, we have to haul six, before Uncle Sam drops holy fire from the sky."

"H-how do you know?"

"I asked for a mark, remember. I figured that by now, Virus Control is calling the shots. If all else fails, kill it with fire. Actual seemed reluctant to share though. Makes me feel like John Rambo."

"C-can't believe they're going to b-bomb A-atlanta."

"I can't believe it's not butter. Let's go, show me to Command."

Hakima fired up the humvee and quickly thereafter they were underway. It didn't take them long before they came up at the rear of a large group of panicked people trying to leave the city. The refugees, recognizing the humvee as the last sign of government, started to block the path and screaming for help. Pretty soon, the humvee was totally stuck. Hakima sighed end killed the engine.

"Wow, fullscale panic. Haven't seen that in quite a while."

"Y-youre e-enjoying this, a-aren't you? W-what kind of m-monster are y-you?"

"Look here, in the last four years, while you were playing gung-ho with your fellows, I was out there doing this for keeps. Circumstances change, but the result is always the same. What do you want me to do? Cry for the plight of the common man? How is any of this my problem? It no means nothin'.", Hakima checked her wristwatch, "Less than an hour to mark. Hand me one of those portables. We're going to have to make a break for it on foot. Stay with me, whoever Actual is, he needs to see you."

"W-why?"

"You stupid fuck! You survived because of that zombieblood you're carrying around. You are the key to bringing the hurt to the enemy. Clamber over and exit at my side after me."

Hakima violently pushed her portar open and left the humvee. Refugees were tucking at her fatigues and screaming in her face but she didn't flinch at them. She kept her attention divided between the guard and the refugees. As soon as the guard was on his feet, she grabbed him by the arm with her right-hand and when she brought up her left-hand, it held one of her Glocks.

She didn't try to talk back to the refugees, she just flowed through them, jerking the guard along.

"We want answers, bitch!"

A burley man, covered in tattoos, wearing dirty jeans and a dirtier wifebeater blocked her way. Without any warning, Hakima dropped the man with a point-blanc headshot. The guard wrestled himself free from her grasp and looked at Hakima with a horrified look in his eyes.

"W-why?"

"Don't the walkers react to sound?", Hakima yelled to make herself understandable, "What do you think is going to happen to these people? Come on.", She grabbed hold of the guard, but he wrestled himself free again. Hakima just turned and tried to make it to the side, hoping to break free from the refugees.

Keeping her left arm raised high, she periodically glanced at her wristwatch.

Time was running out.

Her eye fell on a looted store and she made a break for it. No point in dying just yet. Getting as far into the back as she could, she powered up the portable she had gotten from the guard.

"Whisper to Actual, Whisper to Actual, postpone mark, I repeat, postpone mark. Refugees in the streets, over."

The portable just returned static, but Hakima kept trying at thirty-second intervals.

When she had less than five minutes left, Hakima just powered down and tried to get back even further by making herself as small as possible.

Sure enough, the tell-tale sounds of helicopter-blades, faint at first, became stronger.

"Well, then.", Hakima murmered, "Show me the cash."

Out on the streets, all hell broke loose.


	5. Relatives are relatively relative

**5 Relatives are relatively relative**

Hours later, Hakima woke with a shock. During the barages with napalm-bombs dropped on refugees and walkers alike, she had fallen asleep. It's not that unheard of, it's just something your brain does to keep you from going crazy. At first, she didn't remember where she was or what had happened, but that passed quickly. It was dark outside and the stench of napalm and burned flesh was overpoweringly foul.

"Doesn't smell like victory at all.", Hakima murmered while she powered up her portable.

"Whisper to Actual, Whisper to Actual, do you read, over?"

Static.

"Outstanding. I guess they cleared out."

Hakima rose to her feet and stretched, then she sat herself down on the floor again. She sighed and stopped moving.

At first light, Hakima stirred and rose to her feet. She adjusted her cover and straightened her fatigues, picked up her weekender and then she stepped out in the street.

"Hey, you! Overhere! Overhere!"

Hakima turned towards the sound and placed a finger on her lips in the universal "be silent" sign. She couldn't see who had done the yelling, but that person had a clear line of sight on her. From behind a dumpster, the face of a teenage girl showed and Hakima moved over to her.

"Keep it down, will you?", Hakima hissed to the girl, "The walkers pick up on sound."

"You got to help me!"

"Help you? Why?"

"You're a soldier right? That's what you do!"

"Listen, find a gun. Then go kill walkers or yourself. Either way you're fixing things. I have to go and you'll be a burden. So no, I can't help you."

"No, wait! Please!"

Hakima sighed and powered up her portable, "I'm going to show you something very important, to make you understand. This portable is keyed in to the military emergency channel, reserved for personell in distress. It never changes and 24/7 this channel is monitored. It's forbidden to modulate on it if you're not in danger, but you're always answered. Pay attention.", Hakima shook the portable a bit for dramatic result, "Here goes. Emergency, Emergency. Whisper to Command Actual, do you read, over."

The portable just returned static. Hakima tried a few times more and then powered the portable down.

"You understand what this means? In a very wide circle around us, the United States does not exist anymore. Now, I have to find out just to how far away the United States stopped existing and I'm a hell of a lot better equipped to do that without you. Good luck, kid."

Hakima just upped and left, deaf to the pleading teenager she left behind. The going was slow, as Hakima was forced to make her way through the seemingly endless stream of corpses created by the last ditch effort carried out by the army.

"What is seen, can't be unseen.", Hakima murmered, "Register, acknowledge and file it away."

Something grabbed her ankle and looking down to see what it was, she noticed that a burned corpse was trying to drag her over so it could feast on her. It lacked the strength to do so.

"You're still at it? You fucking survived the napalm?", there was no surprise in Hakima's voice. She was talking to the burned corpse as if to any other being she might encounter, "Well, I have good news and bad news. Straight up, I can't shoot you, because the sound of that will invite your buddies over. That's the good news. The bad news... I'm wearing jackboots. And though you're holding my right foot, you should know I'm omni-dextrous. I know what you're thinking. Just your luck to try and eat some kind of super-human. Anyway, I'm gonna stomp your brains in. No hard feelings, okay? I'd be devastated otherwise.", with that, Hakima stomped the corpse's brains in just like she had told it. Then, calmly, she shook her right foot loose from the twice dead corpse.

"Are you insane?"

Hakima sighed, "Didn't I tell you I can't take you along?"

"I may be 15, but I'm not stupid. You're a Marine, like dad. He told me before about an arabic looking female Marine who was called Whisper. I know you from his stories."

"Cool story, sistah. Look, leave me alone and my chances improve dramatically. I need to carry on."

"My father is Lieutenant Deacon, and you served with him on two tours."

"You're Emily Deacon? Seriously?"

"Okay, okay, wait!", pleaded the girl as she patted the pockets on her jeans, "Here, my provisional driver's lisence from driving-ed. That should prove I'm telling the truth."

Hakima glanced over the provisional lisence for show. She already knew that the girl was telling the truth. Even if she was lying about being Emily Deacon and taking cues from Hakima's appearance, she would never have known how many times her father had served with Hakima. Even as a wild guess, that was a make-or-break longshot.

"Jake Deacon is stationed in Hawaii. He accepted a position as an instructor at sniper basic, what is his daughter doing in Atlanta?"

"I came her with my mother. My grandmother, my mother's mother, lives here."

"That's right, that's how your father and I came to talk, your mother used to be Miss Atlanta at one time. I'd hit her."

"What? Gross! She's dead!"

"So are my parents. My father turned a zombie yesterday. What's your point?"

Unvoluntarily, Emily Deacon took a step away from Hakima, "You're a monster."

"I get that a lot lately. Yet, the people who have said that are dead now and I'm still here. What does that tell you?"

"You're a jinxter?"

"Outstanding. Come on, Emily Deacon. I guess I should take you along for great justice. Jake Deacon is a good man. Just never thought I was dinnertable gossip worthy. Go figure."

"I just thought dad had made you up to spice up his warstories. Never even believed you were for real."

"I'm sure he embellished the details. For the record, it was a girly punch to his body-armor."

"You floored him."

"He lost his balance."

"Whatever."

"Yeah. Keep moving and keep your eyes open. If you're coming along, at least be useful."


	6. Teen dream

6 Teen dream

After some time, they cleared the killing field and the scenery changed to a long line of abandoned cars, both in and out of the city.

"They're all gone...", Emily noticed.

"At some point, waiting becomes pointless. Always keep moving."

"Why would waiting become pointless?"

"The enemy will get a hard-fix on your position and defeat you. That's why. Check for supplies you can snatch up, if it takes more than a second to pick up, leave it. Don't reach into cars."

"Why?"

Hakima suddenly turned around and yelled squarely in Emily's face. The girl was startled such, that she fell on her back.

"That's why. It's not safe. Get up, I need to get to the Command Center before dark."

Hakima heard the girl softly crying behind her as they moved on.

"Look at it this way, now you can swap whisper-stories with your dad."

That actually stopped the sobbing and to Hakima, the walk to the Command Center actually became enjoyable.

"He's dead."

Hakima glanced over her shoulder, "No, he isn't."

"You don't know that. You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"Yeah, I go out of my way to make you feel better. I'm still alive, right? So your dad is too. He's way better at this than I am."

"Really?"

"Scorecards don't lie. He even won a wet t-shirt contest. So yeah, he's better at it than I am."

"He never told me that..."

"Well, man-boobs beating real-deal boobs... I guess it's not something you brag about. In my defense though, I never had much boob to start with. It was an easy win."

Hakima halted, "Didn't I tell you to keep your eyes open? Over there."

"Sorry..."

"Don't be sorry, learn instead. Because of you, I have to watch out for two people. Get with the program. Now come on and let's take that motherfucker down. Here, my spare gun. Get it with a headshot, otherwise you're wasting a bullet."

"I can't... I don't know how to shoot."

"Learn. Now shoot the bitch."

"How? HOW?"

"Take it off the safety, lever on the left side, near your thumb."

Emily thumbled a bit with the gun, "Got it."

"Outstanding. Don't lock your elbows, steady your aim on the head, hold your breath and gently pu-"

The gun went off and the walker dropped like a sack of potatoes. Emily kept her stance and after a few seconds Hakima chimed in, "You can breathe out now."

"I... I did it!"

"Of course you did it. Killing is a human reflex, we just deny it and put up with all kinds of crap because we're civilized. This is merely your nature you have to learn to accept instead of rejecting it."

"Y-yeah..."

"So, welcome to the real you. You're not Emily the innocent teenager with a provisional driver's lisence anymore. You're motherfucking goddamn Emily and you drop the first idiot who gives you static. That's all there is from here on out. Keep the gun. First ever shot lucky, that gun choose you. Now get a move on, we can't remain in the same place too long."

"I don't want to live like that.", Emily said as they move on, "What kind of life is that?"

"A life where the real Emily can kick ass and take names. You're a pretty girl, but I bet the other girls bullied you. Was it because your mum didn't want your dad's life for you, sheltering you?"

"Okay, that's creepy."

"No it isn't. You figured out quite early that I'm a monster. It works the other way around too. Anyone willing to take the time to look at a person can learn a lot just by observing. If nothing had changed, you'd grow up marrying the first guy telling you that he loves you, end up with a slew of kids before thirty and a divorce, foodstamps and hurting for money. And your pretty face would be a shadow of what it once was."

"Stop it!"

"No. This is your chance. You're young enough to see this thing beaten and life restored to normal. Rise to the occasion and let no one stand in your way. Even people who say that they're your friends. Waste them before they waste you."

"You're my friend."

"No, I'm not. I'm your father's friend. You can trust me, but that's where it ends. You can call me Haki if you want."

"I'm calling you Whisper in my head already, so I'll call you Whisper out loud.", Emily hoped it sounded strong and willful. A little smile played on Hakima's lips.

"Outstanding. Are you still watching out?"

Emily quickly scanned her surroundings, "Yes, I am. Can I be your friend?"

"We'll see how it pans out. I already broke a promise to myself and took you along. I'm not ready to start demolishing another wall here."

"I don't get it..."

"Look, if I allow you to be my 'friend', what's next? Before I know it I'm leading a group of people who are moping that their cellphones don't work anymore. And those people will have kids with them. Those kids will be walker-bait the moment you overlook one of them. There will be death and misery. They need food and shelter and won't stop bitching about it till they have it. And then they'll go and have more people join, the one after the other and then they'll start killing eachother, whithout the need for walkers to help them along. And all that just because I started with taking you along and decided to go girly-girly-kiss-kiss next. At least now I can still walk past any needy moron I come across and keep on walking."

"And what if I decide to help people that need it?", asked Emily after a few minutes of thought, "What then?"

"You're free to do so, go and help every asshole who can't live without a microwave and monday night football. They will take, take, take and suck the fire out of you and then blame you when it all goes to hell. Be my guest, help people. Just don't be surprised that when you look up, I'll have moved on."

"Whisper, how do you know that is what will happen? I mean, something good must come from all of this, right?"

"You're the something good. Don't waste it. The world was like this when the walkers were just fiction in horror-stories. I've seen it, stood right in the middle of it and thought I was making the world a better place. It's a lie, Emily. You can't help people if you can't help yourself."

"Dad said that you never allowed anyone to see who you really are, not even to him."

"Jake believes that I'm running away from myself."

"Are you?"

"You can't do what I've done and not fear looking in the mirror."

"I hope I won't become like you. You scare me."

"Good, you shouldn't be friends with scary people. Stranger-danger and all that."

"Stranger-danger?"

"Please, don't go there. Tell me you've had 'the talk'."

"Like, I should not freely give myself over to unclean acts?"

Hakima shook her head violently and drew a sharp breath. Then she firmly adjusted her cover and said, "Close enough. Come on, that must be the Command Center over there. We can make it before dark if we step it up."


	7. She smells like teen-spirit

**7. She smells like teen-spirit**

It was already pretty dark out when Hakima and Emily finally reached the Command Center. But it didn't take Hakima long to see what had happened.

"Poor bastards were overrun. Be on your guard."

"How can you tell they were overrun? They could've just left?"

"Are we even looking at the same scene here?"

Emily started to say something, but Hakima cut her short by raising a hand, "Don't answer that. Look, whatever happened here, they never made it to their vehicles. Get your gun out and expect to use it. See that raised container there? That's the Command Center that was used for the Atlanta-purge. It shouldn't be here anymore, but it is. So that's where we need to be. We can lock it from the inside and spend the night in safety, and maybe I can get some info and answers."

"Hey, if the Command Center is safe, maybe we can stay here longer, right?"

"No way, there are trucks, medical supplies and more weapons than we can carry. This place is a magnet for every wannabe action-hero for miles around. We should do what we need to do here and move on, but I rather have a safe place to wait out the night."

Even to Hakima's relief, they made it to the container without incident. As an icing on the cake, the container was deserted. Hakima closed the door and locked it. It went pitch-dark. Hakima slowly lowered herself and then stretched out on the floor.

"I can't see anything.", Emily said with a small voice.

"Don't worry, the only monster here is I. Get prone and try to get some z's. Tomorrow we'll give this place a one-over, get supplied and move on. Now be silent, sound carries far enough as it is."

Hakima sighed and stopped moving. For a few hours she listened to Emily softly crying and sobbing herself to sleep. Hakima spend time some wondering how the girl survived the purge. Odds out there are stacked heavily against someone like that. Emily was stereo-typical. Blonde and clueless.

Hakima directed her attention elsewhere. There was commotion outside. Voices. Hakima cursed under her breath. If she hadn't been worrying about Emily, she was sure she would've picked up on what was going on outside a lot sooner. Emily would be the death of her, that much was certain. Quickly and eerily soundless, Hakima came to her feet and moved over to where Emily was lying. In one swift move she hauled the teenager up and restrained her with one hand while placing her other hand on the girl's mouth. Emily was too confused to fight back or scream.

"Hush."

The voices came closer to the Center and Hakima tightened her grip on Emily.

"Hey bro, I'm going to see what's in there.", one of the voices spoke.

"Forget it, we have to go, man. We have the drugs and the guns, I say we bounce."

"Bro, we haven't seen a zombie for hours."

"Our next roll will be snake-eyes. Forget that container and let's go!"

"Think it over, bro. There could be survivors hiding in there. Maybe a family with twin-daughters. One for you, one for me. Have us some fun. Woohee."

"What if they tried to trap zombies in there at first? You open the door and god knows how many zombies jump at you."

"All right, bro. You changed my mi- Behind you! Willis! NO! Willis!"

Calmly, Hakima listened to sounds of the struggle until it went quiet again. She was still restraining Emily who hadn't reacted or moved at all since Hakima had rudely hauled her to her feet. Hakima became aware of the young body pressing against hers. Warm. Soft. Nice. It would be so easy to-

Hakima shoved Emily forcefully away from her. It wasn't the first time she had feelings like that. She was ashamed of it, Ashamed that she would have sexual feelings for women, but actually entertaining the idea to force herself upon a 15 year old girl aroused her so deeply she felt like her abdomen were on fire. With all the things people close to her could rightfully accuse her of.., same-sex stat-rape?

"Whisper?"

"Stayawayfromme!", stammered Hakima as the implications of her feelings, what she almost had allowed herself to do, bounced off of the insides of her skull, "Allah! This isn't happening!"

Emily seemed to search her pockets, judging by the rustling sounds she was making.

"Ah, my 'Hello Kitty penlight keyring', wait."

Emily switched on her Hello Kitty penlight. It produced a weak beam of faltering light as she aimed it at Hakima, "Are you okay?"

"Give me some time..."

"You're crying! Did you hurt yourself?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. You could have told me about your Hello Kitty penlight, you know.", Hakima remarked as she dried her eyes.

"You never asked if I had one.."

"I never was interested in that stuff. Hello Kitty, I mean."

"How old are you, anyway?"

Hakima shook her head to clear it, "Why you want to know?"

"Because you look so young. I thought you'd be much older from the stories I heard."

"I'm arabic, I could be 40 and look like 19. That's just how it is."

"You're not 40.", Emily said with the accusive undertone of someone who spotted a lie.

"23."

They stood there looking at eachother for a while and it made Hakima very uncomfortable.

"Whisper, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Look, can we go back to me being a total bitch to you and you being in near tears at everything I say? Please?"

"I... I was angry at you because you were mean to me all the time yesterday. But just then, when you were holding me to keep me silent so those men wouldn't come here... I realised you're trying to teach me, that you're trying to open my eyes to what's going on. I shot that zombie because you wanted me to, but now... You wanted me to shoot that zombie so that I, we, would be safe. You're just acting like a bitch. I know what you're running from. When it all comes down to it, you're just as scared and afraid as everybody else."

"Hey, now."

"Admit it."

"See? See what's happening? I told you I didn't want to bring you along. When I learned you're Deacon's kid, I let sentiment get the better of me and see what that got me? Do you think I would've spent the night here if not for you? I lost so much time already and every minute you're with me, is two minutes wasted. I just don't have the time for this. It should be light out. With some luck, whatever attacked those two guys out there has moved on and we can take their stuff."

"You can leave me, I know how to shoot now."

Hakima sighed, "Okay..,you know what I'm running from? The things I did and can't repair. And the things I might do if I give myself half the chance. I... Did your dad ever tell you why he accepted the posting in Hawaii? Didn't you think it was strange, sudden?"

"I know my parents had fights over it. Mum said dad had broken his career."

"That isn't the half of it. That's why your dad is such a good man, he still sees me as a friend regardless of what happened to him."

"How do you know that? We moved to Hawaii almost a year ago."

"I talked to him, over the phone, not just two days ago. I don't know why I keep calling him. Selfishness I guess. Maybe the guilty pleasure of being a homewrecker, I don't know. I know your parents were getting a divorce over it, so I guess that's why you're really in Atlanta."

Emily stood frozen and Hakima took the chance to gather up her weekender and to unlock the door to the outside. Sharp sunlight washed over her and she blinked into the light a few times. She spotted the remains of the men, not far from the container. There were a few walkers afoot, but not so many Hakima and Emily wouldn't be able to leave. Apart from the noises walkers make, it was suitably silent otherwise.

Hakima ducked back in and soflty closed the door again, "We need something else over guns. Those two guys were dicks, but they were smart. They had baseball-bats. Their 'corpses' are more or less right outside. We stay silent, move slowly over to them, get their gear and vanish."

"Did you and dad... you know..."

"As many times we could get away with until we got caught doing it one time. Everybody knew all along what was going on, we were warned to cut it out. If we had been told to go ahead and fuck eachother's brains out, it probably wouldn't have lasted that long. Anyway, when you get caught with your naked ass in the air asking for it up the shitter in the horniest voice possible while flying your best fuckface, there's not much denying it left. Can we go now?"

Emily suddenly lurched at Hakima, so sudden that they crashed to the floor. Emily threw punches left and right and wailed loudly. She was uncordinated and the punches that landed were weak. Hakima didn't bother to defend herself. After a little while, Emily stopped trying to beat Hakima to a pulp and just sat on top of her, sobbing uncontrollably.

Hakima reached in a sidepocket of her jacket and came up with a doo-rag. She reached up and started to clean Emily's face up with as much tenderness as she could muster.

"Look, I can't tell you that I didn't mean for all of his to happen. It would be a lie. I have pretty sick sexual fantasies and your dad went to town on it. I don't love your dad, I loved that nothing was too sick for him. But I like to think of him as the best friend I ever had and ever will have. He took the fall and made sure I was shielded. That's why I took you along when I found out who you were. For great justice. Heck if you want to, I'll let you beat me up everyday like clockwork, but now we have to go. You hear me? We have to go."

"Does that turn you on too, getting beaten?"

"Sheesh, Emily, what do you want me to say at this point? Collect yourself, level out and think about something else. Look outside and tell me it is not the end of the world. We have to go and daylight is burning."

"Take me to Hawaii, you said dad was still alive, so take me to Hawaii."

"I don't have to take you Hawaii, because your dad isn't there."

"MY DAD IS IN HAWAII!"

"Pipe down. He isn't in Hawaii, because I was supposed to meet him in a seedy motel not too far from here, to write a new episode in our sick-sex journal. I guess he'll understand why I didn't make it on time, but with a bit of luck he's still there. Knowing him, he probably took the weight of the world on his shoulders is organizing the people who are still alive so they can survive together. If that's the case, he'll be much slower than we are. If we press on, we can probably reach the motel in two days walking. Unless you want to waste more time feeling sorry for yourself and blaming me."

"You're lying, Whisper, you're lying all along. You wanted to go and find out where the United States still exists. You said so yourself. And now my dad is suddenly waiting at a motel to... to.. fuck you?"

"That was the plan. I saw no point in going the motel after Atlanta fell. Like it or not, I'm still a Marine. It kinda is my duty to check in, even though my time is almost up. But now I have you to take care off and I know where your father is. Your mother is gone, but I'll be mighty surprised if your dad got cashiered. That would be very unsportsman-like of him. So, Allah be witness, I'm going to bring you to him, probably goad him into taking it out on me a few times and then return to my original plan of returning to the fold."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I was stupid enough to think I could keep it a secret and surprise you. Also hoped I would never have to tell you about your dad and I, but that I kinda bungled that too."

Emily opened her mouth to say something, but Hakima beat her too it, "Please don't ask me why I do the things I do. Just, you know, I feel things and that scare me. I look at you- You know what, it's not important. Please, I told you before that you can trust me. Come on, help me get up and we go find your dad."


	8. Tales from a seedy motel

**8. Tales from a seedy motel**

Two men, armed with rifles, were standing in the reception-office of a run-down motel two days walking out of Atlanta. One was tall and stocky, the other was of average build and height and sported a handle-bar moustache.

"Man, Cleetus, if that 'marine lieutenant' sends us out here tomorrow again, I'm just going to pack it in and call it a day on the group. This is bullshit.", said the man with the moustache, "Who still believes that stupid story about a scout sniper meeting him here."

"Cut the guy some slack, he got us pretty well organized, did he? Besides, he said so himself, if that Marine isn't showing up today, it's pretty much pointless to return tomorrow anyway."

"You actually believe his stories about some mythical Marine called Whisper? Why would they meet in a motel anyway? You have to think about those things, Cleetus."

"Simple.", Cleetus trusted his pelvis while stretching his hands like holding an imaginary woman, "You don't have to think deeper than that. And that's why I know Deacon is telling the truth."

"You seriously believe Deacon is sticking it to her?"

"He's a guy, she's a girl. He's sticking it to her all right."

"It's always boiling down to fucking with you. I think he just wants us out of the way. Away from that sweet New York mama with the three little kids."

"I told you to keep your distance from them, Scooter. That woman is grieving over her husband, you saw what happened. Her man is dead and you want to get into her pants already."

Scooter spat on the floor, "So, while Deacon has us all waiting for his little fuckbuddy, I can't move in on that mama? Bullshit."

"That mama is grieving, Deacon's friend either shows up or not. It's fair enough Deacon has you pegged for what you are and is doing this."

"You disappoint me, Cleetus, you do. Someone shows a flashy military I.D., starts ordering people around and you defend him."

"Beats thinking for myself if he does it. And if that Whisper shows up, the two of them will take care of all of us, because that's what will be going down. That Harold-clown? Not going to happen. He had power when the world was going his way. The dude can't even crap in the bushes because he startles at everything. That student-girl, whatsherface?"

"Norma."

"Norma. Hasn't stopped crying since we met her and telling everybody that the end is neigh. Useless. New York mama has three kids she has to look after. Marvin... that nigger is still talking in that weird dialect and doing that weird thing with his hands all the time. Makes me wanna cut his hands off. Going around calling himself the Big-M. I mean, what the fuck? I don't think he even knows what's going on around him. Then that goth-couple who do nothing but giving you the evil eye all the time."

"How do you mean, couple?"

"Those two boys are having it for eachother, Scooter. They have eachother's names tattooed in their necks."

"Never did notice that. I guess the Barkers will be good in a fight though. Nate's wife is one big barreling tower of fat and mean. There's no way a zombie is going to take that mutant down. And Nate calls her Princess.", Scooter shuddered, "Nate's allright though. Shared his smokes till he was out and the way he swings that nailboard? Never saw anything like that. I'm not even thinking of coming near Princess. Their son is as strong as strong as his father. Once he gets away from his mother, he'll come into his own real quick. Your wife, Mable, shotgun-goddess. Billy-Mae is good with a pistol."

"About that Scooter. If I ever catch you trying to get close to my girl, I'll cut your pecker off and feed it to you."

"You think I'll try to fuck Billy-Mae?"

"You'll fuck anything warm with a hole to fit. Just stay away from Billy-Mae. Anyway, between Deacon and his Whisper, we're golden. They're going to do all the heavy lifting, just you watch. This has free ride written allover it."

"Maybe, if I wasn't totally useless waiting for Deacon with my crotch hanging out.", a pleasant melodious voice spoke.

"Jeebus!", Scooter yelled, "Where did you come from?"

Hakima, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, smiled sweetly, "I was here all the time. I enjoyed the part where you two hill-billies were discussing my sexlife. Priceless. Cleetus and Scooter? Who comes up with that shit?"

Scooter took a step towards Hakima, but was suddenly looking at the business-end of her Glock, "Not a step further, paper-mario. My turn to tell a story. Three days ago, my homegirl Emily was a total fucktart. Then she found a weapon and a purpose and what can I say? End of story."

"Nice story, but-"

"Emily?"

A cracking sound from a rifleshot echoed and less than an inch away from where Scooter was standing, a bullet impacted the floor.

"Maybe I should have said 'scoped rifle' instead of weapon, but I tend to tell lousy stories anyway. Morale is, Emily doesn't trust you and I'm her bitch when it comes to calls like that. Keep 'em lassoed, homegirl."

"You must be Whisper, right?", informed Cleetus. He was remarkably calm. Hakima didn't answer but instead collected the duo's weapons in a very relaxed manner. Then she spoke up.

"And you're not fazed by any of this. So, either you're a fool or a crazy sumbitch, Cleetus."

Cleetus huffed dismissively, "Seen some crazy things in my day, little lady. Used to be a deputy."

"Smart man, they always shoot the sheriff. But you like free rides, don't ya?"

"You got me all figured out, little lady. What's your story? That color skin you're showing? That's no suntan right there."

"Nope, I'm of arabic descent. Otherwise, I'm the mythical Whisper. Name's Hakima though. Haki if you wanna be all friendly like. Any of those three will do. Your buddy here, what's he to you?"

"Brother-in-law."

"Please tell me he is Mable's brother and not her uncle."

From somewhere outside, a young girl's voice whooped. Hakima's quip even produced a smile on Cleetus' face, but Scooter just glared at Hakima.

"He's a bonafide brother to my wife, little 's not nice to go around insinuating otherwise."

"No big, we just talkin'. You two boys have this deliverance thing going on, I had to ask."

"Deacon warned us about you and that you'd have a mouth on you. Thought you be taller, though."

"Heh, I like you, Cleetus. You're allright."

"Dogon-it!", cursed Scooter, "Always the same. Cleetus says five words and he gets the girl. Goddamn!"

"Well... His name is Cleetus. Totally dreamy right there. And he's married, which is a major turn-on. Just saying.", Hakima patted Scooter on the shoulder, "So my advise? Get married. Come on down, homegirl. The good ole boys are good folk."

A short while later, Emily entered the reception-desk. She had shouldered the rifle, but had her pistol out and kept it trained on Cleetus and Scooter.

"You know boys, if the zombie-apocalypse hadn't happened, Emily would never have found her calling. The bitch is stone-cold. Forty confirmed ranged kills in two days. Imagine what she can do at point-blanc."

"No need to threaten us, little lady, we were send to collect you, not to kill you.", Cleetus spoke calmly. He kept his eyes on Hakima at all times. Scooter was just fuming at his perceived misfortune.

"You're not listening, I said, forty confirmed ranged kills in two days. It's not safe to be out there and depending on how far away your camp is, it's not safe to be with you either. Emily is my charge, Cleetus, I'm sure you understand that, what with Scooter being here."

"About an hour's drive that a'way.", said Cleetus as he threw his thumb over his shoulder, "Deacon got us nicely covered and I'm not risking putting a scratch on his girlfriend and her sidekick either."

"Outstanding. We're going to collect our stuff, while you boys bring the car around. Don't forget to pick up your rifles, ya'll."

After Hakima and Emily had left, Scooter spat, "Goddamn it! I swear to you, Cleetus, there was no one here when I did the last round.", He walked over to their rifles and handed one to Cleetus, "That bitch was here all along. That's fucking like as in those super-soldier movies, it is"

Cleetus accepted his rifle from Scooter, "That little lady is batshit insane, Scooter. Nothing but lean muscle on her and did you see how she handled us? It looked like it was all fun and games with her, but I knew, Scooter, I knew. And that's why she respected me."

"What did you know?"

"If we had nothing to do with that Deacon-fellow? We'd be dead now. That little lady is batshit insane and she knows it, Scooter. Zombies, us, other people, it's all the same to her. There's the pick-up."

As they climbed in, Scooter said, "She's mighty fine though. Arabic, was she? What are arabs doing in the Marines?"

"Fighting for the american way, I guess.", Cleetus said as he started the pick-up, "If some of those terrorists are on our side, well, I guess you shouldn't look a gifted terrorist in the mouth in times like these. She salutes the flag every morning, you can't fake that kinda loyalty day after day. There they are."

"Can we trust them, Whisper?", Emily asked as they walked over to where they had hidden their gear.

"Cleetus? He takes too much pride in his former job as a deputy. He is the kind of man who lives by a code. Trouble is that only he can make sense of that code. Don't try to understand him, but trust him to look out for you when you least expect it. Scooter is trouble. He'll slip you a spiked drink just to fuck you with some peace and quiet. Cleetus keeps him in check. If you ever find yourself alone with Scooter, walk to where you last saw Cleetus. Clip him otherwise. Don't think or hesitate, just tear him a new one.", Hakima chuckled, "I can't believe he walked past me twice before that scene in the reception-desk."

"Whisper, where are the walkers? I haven't seen any yet. It's not right."

"I noticed it too. I think those boys cleared them out good. Your father must have send them out here for four days straight. They must have been bored out of their skulls.", Hakima smiled, "Nice shot there, kiddo. Didn't dare landing it closer, huh?"

"I was worried I might miss my point and hit one of them. I decided to be careful."

Hakima nodded, "Good. No grandstanding, I'm proud of you."

"Don't know how dad will like you teaching me how to handle guns..."

"He better get with the program. Those walkers aren't taking prisoners. If he kicks up a storm, we'll just show him what you can do. You have his talent for carnage. Other than that, what if it all goes south and you're the last one standing? He'll see reason. Besides, I'm a lisenced instructor. Take this bag."

Emily accepted the bag automatically and looked around, "I wanna get away from here. It's too spooky without walkers."

"They grow on you, don't they? Looking forward to see your dad?"

"Oh yes."

"I'm not sure I like how that sounds, girlfriend."

"I'm looking forward to see dad."

"Okay, okay. We're on the homestretch. There they are."

"Scooter, out.", demanded Hakima as she opened the portar on the passenger-side, "Emily rides shotgun."

"Now listen here, you-", Scooter found himself looking into the barrel of Hakima's Glock again.

"I've come too far with my homegirl to see it all go to pieces here. Emily rides shotgun, surrounded by a few layers of american steel. Cleetus, if it goes south in any way, you keep driving and you deliver Emily to Jake Deacon. You hear me?"

"You heard the little lady, Scooter.", Cleetus said in his calm way and then to Hakima, "I get the notion that while Deacon might have send us out for you, you wouldn't have shown up if not for the girl."

"On the money, Cleetus. There's a reason I like you. You might just be the redeemer for all hill-billies out there, don't waste the opportunity."

"Funny you should say that, little lady. I said something along those lines to Scooter about terrorists."

Hakima bursted out in a free laugh, "Oh Cleetus, where have you been all my life."

"Ain't it funny how adversity brings people together, little lady? Now, if it's all the same to you, we should head back to camp."

Emily handed her rifle over to Hakima before she climbed in, "I'm with Mr. Cleetus. I don't like it. It feels like something is heading our way. There's a storm coming."

"How terminator of you.", Quiped Hakima as she closed the door. Emily watched her climbing in the back of the pick-up looking in the rearview-mirror on her side.

"I don't get it..."

"I think that the little lady is refering to a movie of some sort, young lady. I might be wrong though, people like the little lady appear to be too random to get a firm read on.", spoke Cleetus as he set the pick up in motion and drove off.

"You scored heaps of points with Whisper though, Mr. Cleetus. The way you keep calling her little lady without her mutilating you must count for something. I'm scared of her, but at the same time, I'm not."

"To see the face of the Lord is to know madness, young lady, and the Lord appears in many forms."

"Are you sure you're a deputy?"

"I was the smartest of us. Paw always said I could've gone to university, but I'm not too sure about that. I'm no scientist. I like simple solutions for simple people and serving the law was one way to do it. Loved my job, the community depended on me and the only time I fired my gun was on the range. Best years of my life, right there... right there.", Cleetus fell silent and Emily didn't really know what to say next.

They drove on for a good while and Emily sank deep away in her own thoughts, unbeknowst to herself constantly checking for walkers. When Cleetus started talking again, Emily almost jumped out of her skin.

"You know, young lady, in the first day, the Lord gave us the brightest of his paladins by way of Jake Deacon. He brought us together, organized us, gave us important tasks to do. He brought order and reason. But there must be balance in all things. So the Lord saw it fit to send us a corruptor, the darkest of his angels, one with wings of obsidian and death on her mind. She'll pull the paladin to her level by dousing his eternal light with lewdness and seduction. Before the paladin, the darkest of angels will go naked and test his resolve. And we will know misery, sickness and death because of it, but it will be our salvation."

"You weirding me out, Mr. Cleetus!"

"Well now, I figured you was dreaming, the way you where mumbling and moving, young lady. Was debating whether or not to wake you up because of it."

"No, you were talking about paladins and angels with wings of obsidian just then!"

"Now that's interesting, young lady. As a young man, I fancied myself as a writer of sorts. I wrote a story about a battle for the affection of the Lord between two angels. The Angel of Creaton and the Angel of Death. Never showed it to a publisher because I thought it to be blasphemy myself. How do you like that?"

"If I fully understood the meaning of irony, that would be it, I guess.", mused Emily, "Do you think Whisper is our Angel of Death?"

"The little lady carries with her the face of the Lord, but she calls him by a different name. But who knows? It is not for us to know the future merely to prepare for it. That'll only blind you to the future that follows it."

"That's so weird. Whisper said the same thing. She told me I was young enough to see this beaten and society restored, that I was 'the good', whatever that means. But she's only seven years older than I am..."

"Some people know their future and it needs no explanation for them. But it allows them to see the world clearly. The little lady brought you here for her own selfish reasons. Maybe to do pennance in her own way, who's to say?"

"For great justice..", Emily mused aloud.

"I like that.", Cleetus said, "Why don't you start from the beginning, young lady, tell ol' Cleetus what really happened on your way here."


	9. They grow up too fast

**9. They grow up too fast**

In the back it was a bumpy ride. Scooter had trouble hanging on while keeping his distance from Hakima, who was totally relaxed and seemed to absorb the bumps and kicks as if it was just another thing she did. She even appeared to enjoy herself.

"My, Scooter, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're scared.", Hakima teased as she turned her head to face Scooter, "I hope it wasn't something I did."

"Cleetus says you're batshit insane and I agree with that. You're naturally born bad, missy."

"Outstanding. Wait, you see that overthere, Scooter?"

Scooter followed a line of sight from where Hakima was pointing at and saw.

"Zombies heading towards the camp!"

"Good eye, Scooter.", Hakima slammed her hand to the cab a few times to draw Cleetus' attention and motioned him to stop. Grabbing hold of the rifle she took from Emily earlier, she waited till the pick-up had slowed down enough to jump off safely and let it roll past. Then she walked over to Cleetus' side and motioned for him to roll down his window.

"Saw movement heading to the camp's way. Gonna check it out, maybe change their minds, whoever or whatever they are."

"If they're still people, little lady, you should bring them along."

"It's already a large camp, Cleetus. It would just be more mouths to feed. I respect your compassion, but we have to be realistic here."

"I don't like it, little lady, but you make sense. Gonna take Scooter with ya?"

"Nah, I move faster on my own. How far are we out, 20 minutes or so?"

"Some' like that."

"Okay, I'll find the camp after I'm done. At any rate, tell Deacon to break camp. I hate to take cues from untrained people, but Emily is right. Go."

"Don't go getting yourself killed now, little lady."

"Go."

Hakima waited till the pick-up was out of sight and then set herself in motion. She was a good distance away from where she had spotted movement, but on her own, finally able to pace herself free from others, she was making good time.

As soon as the pick-up arrived at the camp, Jake Deacon dropped what he was doing and ran over. There was someone riding next to Cleetus who wasn't Scooter, he had noticed that much. Other people living in the camp came over too.

Jake's heart jumped when he recognized the girl climbing out of the pick-up. In a few big steps he was by her, fell to his knees and pulled Emily close in a bear hug, "Emily! Baby! You're alive! You're alive!"

"I hate you."

Jake frooze. It hadn't sounded angry teenagey-like. It had sounded calculated and bitter, a perfect pitch. Just like his wife had delivered it before she took Emily with her to Atlanta.

"What did you say?"

"You ruined everything! Everything! Only to fuck Whisper in her ass!"

"Yoyoyo! I wanna see that Whisper now, man! 'Now wha'am sayin'?, Big-M said while making all kinds of signs with his hands, "'Sup, Deac-o, tired of banging the real missus missionary all the time, huh? 'Now wha'am saying?"

"Everybody, leave me alone with my daughter, please...", Jake said shakenly. They did. All of them had their own worries to attend to and none of them needed to hear the problems that Jake had right now. Only Cleetus remained while Jake let go of Emily.

Emily look at her father with dripping contempt, "You ruined everything. You stay behind in Hawaii and then all this happens and then you're here waiting for Whisper to fuck her some more! How could you! How could you!"

Jake rose his hand with the intend to slap Emily, but Cleetus grapped hold of his wrist with the firm grip of a trained police-officer.

"The little lady is out scouting something she noticed 20 minutes out, boy.", Cleetus said in his calm manner, "She thinks you should break camp and lead us to higher ground and truth be told, I agree. Put it behind you, boy. Put it behind you."

At first, Jake looked like he would attack Cleetus, but the spiney man holding his wrist just slowly shook his head. Jake conceeded.

"No, Haki has not seen this camp yet and we don't know what she finds out. We have a good position here, Cleetus. Tell everybody to be on alert and I would appreciate it if Scooter and you would run the perimeter for me."

"Can I trust you if I let go of your hand, boy?"

Jake smiled, "Marine-honor. I was out of line."

"All right then.", Cleetus said as he let go of Jake and before he left he turned briefly to Emily, "Go easy on your dad, young lady."

"Would you please tell me what that was all about? These people depend on me and they don't need to see my own daughter talking back at me."

"Whisper told me everything, dad. What you did to her, what... what she asked you to do. And I get it. She's beautiful, smart, funny, independent and strong. Mum was beautiful."

"Susanne... what happened, Emily?"

"She... Mum ran and left me behind. I saw her get torn apart..."

"Emily..."

"Stop it, dad. Just stop it. Whisper is out there and I'm worried sick. She taught me in three days what you guys couldn't in 16 years. I'm a crack-shot, dad, did you know that?"

"Emily, Haki is bad news, for everyone she meets. She has no boundaries, no emergency-brake. She has been put up for psych-evaluations more times than I can count and passed them with flying colors each time. She fools everybody and does what she wants whenever it pleases her. Haki is sick and dangerous."

"Didn't stop you from fucking her in the a-"

"Stop right there! I screwed up, Emily, don't you think I know that? I'm not going to explain myself to you. What happens between two consenting adults is not the business of a kid."

"You made it my business when you guys got a divorce. You didn't just once abuse Whisper, but time and time again and while in Hawaii, you stayed in contact with her."

"Hold on a second, I didn't abuse Haki!"

"Dad, even if she begged you to do all those things, was there no time at all where you thought 'I should not do this?'. You knew she's sick, you said so yourself. You took advantage time and time again, and that's abuse."

"Emily, what happened to you?"

"I grew up, dad.", Emily said plainly. She reached over the side of the pick-up and came up with two bags, "I turned 16 today, dad. Nice of you to remember. I've asked Mr. Cleetus if I could stay with his family because I don't want to stay with you. Not right now."

Emily looked at the camp and saw a firm woman inspecting a shotgun. Walking over to the woman she said, "Escuse me ma'am, are you Mr. Cleetus' wife?"

Jake remained by the pick-up, clenching and unclenching his fists as he watched his daughter walk over to Mable, Cleetus' wife, "I know you're there Cleetus. Let me have it."

Cleetus appeared next to Jake, "As far as reunions go, I've seen worse, boy. I hope you handle the next one better, because I'm not going to intervere when two highly trained individuals like yourselves start killing eachother. I know what you're thinking, boy. But we need the little lady and we need you."

"What did just happen, Cleetus? Tell me."

"Your girl is smart as a whip, she'll work it out. Had her pegged as your daughter as soon as she stepped in the reception-desk. She lost everything, boy. Her mother, her friends, heck, even her childhood. You lost your wife, but you lost her long before that. You got your daughter back and the woman you really want to be with is near. Do with my words what you will, but don't make your girl lose a father, boy."

"That's awfully dramatic coming from you, Cleetus. Emily can still be a kid."

"Your girl don't think she can, boy. She threw this in the trashbag in my truck. Maybe you should hang on to it till the times' right?", Cleetus held out a Hello Kitty penlight and handed it over to Jake, "I hate it when kids do that. It's no way to grow up, believing that a toy is a weakness. I'm taking the truck out, see if I can meet the little lady half-way, boy."

"I can't ask that of you, Cleetus."

"The little lady said something to me about me being a free-loader, boy. Aimin' to prove her wrong."

Jake shook his head, "Be careful, Cleetus. You're likely to get another earfull for doing it."

Cleetus did not react to that, but merely climbed into his truck and rode off. Jake watched him go and then he made a round along the camp, assuring people that everything was all right.


	10. Walkers keep walking

**10. Walkers keep walking**

Hakima came over a rise and stopped dead in her tracks, "No, no, no! Hell, no! Fuck no!"

She looked out over a field and saw a mass of walkers, shambling in the camp's general direction.

"How is that possible?", she murmered as she quickly timed her pulse, "Calm down, Haki, calm down. It no means nothin'. Good girl."

Hakima tried to do a quick count of the walkers in the field, but gave up when she passed one hundred, "They react to sound, but it's just me and the birds out here? What's going on? I saw this in Atlanta too, couldn't figure it out then, too. Do they just keep walking?"

Her eyes searched for a way to get close to the horde in the field unseen, but it was just open ground. Then she picked up the sound of a pick-up truck in the distance, "Cleetus' truck... coming my way... Oh fuck no."

She gave the horde one last look, turned and ran towards to the sound Cleetus's pick-up was making. It took a while before the truck was close enough for her to see Cleetus in there and she was surprised that he stopped and killed the engine as soon as he saw her make the marshall-sign for engines off, "Deputy, my ass", Hakima murmered and double-timed the rest of the distance.

Cleetus rolled down his window when Hakima arrived at his side, "What's the matter, little lady?"

Hakima took a moment to collect herself, "Cleetus, I need you to give the truck to me and run back to the camp. There's a horde over the rise and I think I have an idea to make them change direction, but if it fails, the camp can't be there anymore. Allah, what was Jake thinking waiting for me?"

"What now, little lady, a herd?"

"Horde."

"Right, a herd."

Hakima shrugged, "Whatever works for you. Come on, we're maybe ten minutes out and with the people you guys are with, that's cutting it awfully close."

"Why aren't the both of us returning to camp, little lady? If anyone can tell Deacon to break camp, it's you, I reckon."

"Because he won't break camp on my word. He's a Lieutenant, I'm a Corporal and he'll just pull rank on me to appear strong to the people and to kick me in the babymaker. Jake is a good leader, but he believes in staying the course and if he has been here for this time with little trouble, he'll believe he can stick it out a while longer. And that would be true if that 'herd' wasn't coming this way."

"Why wouldn't Deacon take advise from you, little lady?"

"Emily.", Hakima said as if that explained everything, "I'm sorry, Cleetus, if I come with you, I'll be the death of all of you. Please, give me the truck and hurry back to the camp, get them underway. And Cleetus... leave everything behind but what you can grab together in a second. Just get them to go."

Just as Cleetus nodded and made a start with climbing out of the pick-up, they heard gunshots. Hakima and Cleetus looked at eachother, "That's coming from the camp, little lady!"

"No, no, no! A second herd? How is that possible? The noise, Cleetus, the other herd will react to it! Ride like hell!"

As Cleetus fired up the engine, Hakima clambered into the back, "Drive, Cleetus, don't worry about me!"

Cleetus drove like had never driven before with Hakima in the back hanging on for dear life. When they arrived at the camp, Cleetus took the chance to crash into a five walkers and then he violenty stepped on the brakes. Hakima took a moment to clear her head. She had been thrown around and smacked up and down hard enough to see stars dancing infront of her eyes.

She saw Cleetus running towards a young woman wearing daisy-dukes who threw him a shotgun.

"I could stay here and be a coward for once...fuck, fuck, motherfuck.", Hakima murmered, but then she produced her Glock, checked it and grabbed her cover. Marines don't go anywhere without wearing their cover. Runningly, she placed her cover on her head with her left hand, while shooting a walker that was in her path. She needed to link up with Jake to get a situational report, but she stopped running and secured her pistol. It was over.

Hakima assessed the situation. It was a chaos. Some punk-rocky-gothic kid was crying over his dead friend, Nobody cared for the body of a rapper and a woefully obese woman was trying to console a high-society-dressed woman crying out for her kids.

In the middle of the camp, Jake was trying to talk to the rest of the survivors but they were all blaming him for waiting.

Emily appeared next to Hakima, "You said, they will take, take, take, suck the fire out of you and then blame you when it all goes south. How did you know?"

"Experience, homie. Glad you're all right."

"Mrs. Cleetus hid me under a pile of stuff and told me not to come out. Have they even noticed you yet?"

"Go find Cleetus and help him pack up, we need to go, Cleetus knows. I'm going to talk sense into the rest of them, but I'm not here to save them. We cool?"

"Yeah, we should go. I was right, wasn't I?"

"More than you know...", Hakima said and then she walked over to the group besieging Jake. Behind her, Emily turned around and hurried to Cleetus and his family.

Hakima walked right into the middle of the group and pushed Jake backwards with both hands. That action got the right result, she had their attention.

"Leave everything behind, get in your cars and go. There's more coming and they're close. Go."

"Rita and the goth-kid won't listen.", A burly man said.

"Leave em."

"Fuck you say?"

"Leave em. Save yourself, Princess and your son."

"You heartless bitch! How do you know who I am anyway?"

"Outstanding.", Hakima murmered and saw Cleetus and his family plus Emily boarding his truck, "Okay, we don't have the time. Get in your cars and go. That's all. Cleetus will take the truck 20 miles out west-way. Find us there if you like. Or don't.", And without looking over her shoulder, "Goes for you too, Jake. Be there or not, I don't care. You might not wanna disappoint your daughter too much though."

Hakima set herself in motion and Jake catched up with her. He grabbed Hakima by the upper-arm, painfully hard, but he kept walking along with her, "Wanna explain yourself there, Corporal?"

"Fuck you. Get to your car and go, are you deaf?"

"Listen, Ms. Gunay, you don't get to write up your own missions based on your own intel this time. This isn't Jemen."

"Fuck you."

"Hakima. Haki- will you fucking stop walking and look me in the eye, for fuck sake."

Hakima stopped walking and looked at where Jake was holding her. He let go. Getting Hakima to work with you at any time was hard enough, trying to get her to do so while being restrained was just foolish.

"Say thank you.", Hakima demanded.

"Don't push me, Hakima, not now."

"Bye."

"Okay, goddamned little motherfuck! Thank you! Happy now?"

"Outstanding. There's a mess of walkers heading this way, less than a few minutes out. Because of the battle just now, they'll be locked on this position and plow right through it. Now get going, I can't keep Cleetus any longer. I'll explain everything later, trust me."

As soon as Hakima was merely half aboard in the back, Cleetus got underway. Scooter grabbed Hakima to assist her.

"Mind the hands and eyes up, Scooter", Hakima jested.

"Yeah, yeah. Mighty glad to have you with us, missy."

"That's so sweet of you. You might even become desirable one day, Scooter."

The young woman in the daisy-dukes laughed, "Uncle Scoot, desirable? That'll be the day!"

"Where's Emily?"

"In the front with ma and pa, don't worry about her. Ma is all protective of her, even gave her a new name, ya know. She's Amy-Lee now."

"Whatever keeps the mother-hen happy, right?"

"Nah, that shotgun she carries has a mind of it's own, I tell ya. All in all it's better to avoid ma if you ain't family."

"I hear you."


	11. Twisted mass of rotten muck

**11. Twisted mass of rotten muck**

The rode for a while, until Cleetus halted the pick-up and climbed out, "Twenty miles out, little lady, but I see a reststop up ahead a little further down. We should check it out, I reckon."

"Might be wise.", Hakima agreed, "I'll take Scooter and scout it out, when you see me waving bring the truck up. Do you have a crowbar or something, Cleetus? I don't want to make too much noise if there are walkers in there."

"Can't help you with that, little lady, I guess you'll have to shoot them."

"Outstanding. Come on Scooter."

"Right behind you, missy.", Scooter answered as he climbed out.

"I bet."

Billy-Mae laughed at that, "Forget it, uncle Scoot, she has you pegged and on red alert!"

As they made their way to the reststop, Scooter muttered under his breath.

"Sheesh, Scooter, lighten up a bit. Enjoy it. You have some alone-time with me now."

"Missy, you've been teasing me from the git. You deserve five around the ears, you do."

"Give it time, pretty soon someone will do it for you. No need to break your hand on my skull."

"That Deacon-fellow will take care of it? Amy-Lee had some harsh words to say to him. Lemme tell ya, it wasn't pretty."

"Yeah, and a few other people that don't agree with me. What's this Amy-Lee thing? Her name is Emily."

"That's right, missy. Amy-Lee, as we been saying all along."

Hakima shook her head in amusement, "Whatever, Scooter, whatever. You guys adopted her quick, though. Thank you."

"It ain't a thing, missy. Amy-Lee is hurtin' and it doesn't look like she and her pa will clear the air soon. We never let children out in the rain like that, we don't. So, when Mable declared her family, that was the end of that."

"Mable must be a special woman."

"Mable is Mable, missy. I hope that she'll be able to let Amy-Lee go when the girl is back on her feet. When she lost her first daughter, no one was able to get through to her for days. She was besides herself, she was."

"I'm sorry. What happened?"

"Heart-condition. Poor thing died during surgery, two weeks old."

"That's...tragic."

"Then she married Cleetus and things turned around. Billy-Mae, her second, is healthy like a horse, she is."

"Seriously? I thought Cleetus married his high-school sweetheart. He seems like the kind of man to do that, you know. Marry young and make it work."

"Cleetus? He settled in our town what... 30 years ago I guess. No one knew where he came from and he never shared. Took a position as a deputy and chased Mable's deadbeat boyfriend off. He was her knight in shining armor, he was."

"Heh, I wasn't even born when that must have came down."

"Lemme tell you, missy, in all those years since, I've never seen Cleetus angry, raise his voice or hand to his family. I think that's why Billy-Mae came back after college. Her ma and pa are the world to her, they are."

"What did Billy-Mae major in?"

"Don't rightly know, missy. She didn't major in being a killer, if that's what you're asking."

"Not cool, Scooter."

"I have the right of it, though. You enjoy this too much, missy. I call it like I see it, you're naturally born bad, you are."

"How did this conversation become about me?"

"That's who you are, missy. You draw eyes to ya, you do."

"Let's just be silent."

"You don't like people prying, do you?"

"Scooter, I'm naturally born bad, what else is there to know? Seriously though, let's be silent and sweep the reststop."

It was an uneventful sweep. The reststop was deserted and trice looted.

"Well, that's done, I'll wave Cleetus and the rest over, missy."

"Wait, Scooter. Let's take our time. I have been on missions that went south just because the all-clear was given too soon. Nobody's fault, but things can go sour in a heartbeat. With a little extra effort, we can be totally sure."

"Look, missy, ain't no one here but us."

"I agree, but you should be thinking about your family. Their safety is on us."

Scooter considered that, "All right then, missy, one more look-see."

As they were doing their extra sweep, a car came to a screeching stop, a cardoor slammed and heavy footsteps were a prelude to Jake Deacon crashing in. He quickly scanned for Hakima, spotted her and was on her the next second. Jake grabbed Hakima by the neck and dragged her outside, where he threw her face-first against his car.

It had the desired effect, as Hakima's nose hurted hard enough to prevent her from retaliating.

"Now you listen to me, Haki, and you talk to me."

"Awh, motherfucker! Sheesh, fuck!"

"Listen, there was a mother there who lost three children in that attack, Big-M died and Jacob lost his partner Izekal. Where do you get off ignoring all that pain and ordering people around like that?"

"If you broke my nose.."

"Goddamned, Haki! Stop being a selfish bitch for a moment."

"All right, next time when we get decimated with a second wave coming, I'll organize a healing-session first, okay? Get touchy-feely with the survivors, have show and tells with pictures of eaten family-members, the works. I can do that. Sure."

"Haki, the mother stayed behind!"

"Good, she would slow us down anyway, Jake. Allah, I don't need this crap."

"Slow us...", Jake looked at Hakima in disbelief, "How deep have you sunken into your madness, Haki? Tell me, how deep?"

Hakima struggled to her feet and gingerly felt her nose, while keeping her head bowed forward to let her nose freely bleed, "Idunno."

"What is it with you? What you did in Jemen was inexcusable, but we're not in Jemen, damn you. But no, you just carry on, do you? From one slaughter to the next, getting wet on the death-count."

"I was commendated for my action in Jemen, you know that."

"It was a school, you fuck, a school. You don't fire anti-materiel rounds into a school! I think that if I crack open your skull, I won't see a human brain in there, but some twisted mass of rotten muck."

"Idunno."

"Haki, stop. Just stop. We lost people today and you don't lose a beat. It used to be different. YOU used to be different."

"No, I was always like this. But when we were a thing, you choose not to see it. And the rest of them didn't want to see it either."

"Haki, the camp-"

"-The camp is your fault, motherfucker! Keeping a camp with destitutes stationary for almost a week? What were you thinking? This one is on you, and not on me."

"I had to take a chance on you showing up, we had some zombies, but we killed them easy enough. Cleetus and his brother even had to stop roaming because they went too far from the motel. By my information, the area was secure."

"Okay let's compare notes then. Government calls them walkers. The walkers react to sound and home in on that. Somehow, they gather in numbers and keep walking. The larger the group of sorry bastards you so desperately try to help, the lower the group's overall life-expectancy. At this point, I estimate that two days is the max for encampment. We should cut all useless people loose.

Seriously."

"Are you even listening to yourself? None of that sounds remotely alien to you?"

"How many children were lost?"

"Why do you want to know that, Haki? So you can wring your hands in glee?"

Haki rolled her eyes, "So the drama. How many children were lost?"

"Three, all belonging to the same mother."

"It's sad. But you have to understand that there are no children anymore. There are no elderly people anymore. Just alive people. And if those alive people want to survive long enough to start rebuilding, they'll have to cut away everything that slows them down. I know it, and Allah be witness, I started out right when this came down. But then I found your daughter and once I knew who she was, I couldn't leave her behind. Look where that got me."

"Bet you took the chance to start murdering your way out."

"Nah, the walkers got that covered for me. It no means nothing. We won't see the end of it, you and me both, you know that, don't you?"

Jake took a moment to see if Hakima was serious. There was a little smile on her lips, but there was something in her eyes that weirded him out, "Okay, gipsy-queen, why won't you and I survive this?"

"Because you're too stupid to learn and I'll just get killed doing what I do. Kinda surprised at myself it didn't happen yet, but here we are. There's no way this ends well."

"What do you mean?"

"I kept wearing my fatigues, behaving like a Marine, because I was sure I could link up and be part of a major counter-offensive. But I've seen the herd. The one I spotted was well over one hundred walkers. How many herds are there? Nobody knows. If you want my opinion, this is humanity's extinction cycle."

Jake shook his head, "I'm not going to turn away people because of this. We can't lose our humanity, Haki. If we give that up, then..."

"If you give up your humanity, you become a survivor. Anyway, it's time for me to stop being a Marine and see if my civvies still fit. I'll be leaving now. I promised Emily I'd bring her to her father and that's what I did. I'm not going to die fighting for a lost cause. The Hakima Gunay cause has a good chance at winning.", Hakima took her cover off and let it drop to the ground. She reached up behind her head and freed her hair, powerfully shaking her head to let the strands find their way. Most of her face suddenly disappeared behind a curtain of sleek raven hair.

"It's been fun, Jake. I wish you would make me scream till orgasm one more time, but yeah, that's not in the books."

Hakima started to loosen her jacket while stepping closer to Jake. She went to her toes to bring her face up close to Jake's and gave him a kiss. Then she walked on, dropping her jacket along the way.

Scooter walked up to Jake, "For a moment I thought you were close to killing to her, Deacon."

"If this all wouldn't had happened, if the world was still normal.., I was meeting her at that motel to kill her.", Jake sighed and started walking too. Other survivors of the camp were pulling up near Cleetus' pick-up and he had a lot to contend with. Scooter just watched him going.


	12. Catharsis?

**12. Ca...tharsis?**

At first, Hakima was of a mind to back-track to the sacked camp. But she never made it there because she spotted a small herd and decided to trail them. That worked out pretty well, collecting supplies from the herd's victims as the herd steamrolled a few camps. When the herd grew too large in number, Hakima decided to split. She butchered a small camp herself and stayed there for two days resting in the middle of her handywork and living off of the spoils.

Somewhere down the line and in a very short time, her mental state had detoriated. The world was black.

Saying good-bye to Emily had broken Hakima's heart. But she was glad to be away from the girl, not having to deal with her feelings for the minor anymore. It was a load off her shoulders and after a while, Emily didn't even appear in Hakima's masturbation-fantasy anymore. Hakima took it as a sign that it had been a fling, a very wrong fling. But something she was bouncing back from. That made her happy for a while.

During her trek, she talked to trees, flowers, birds and at one point to a lamppost. It was something she had done before, sporadically. In her mind, it kept her sane.

Before getting ready to leave the camp she had made her own, she did a last check of the murdered people's possessions to see if there was anything more she could use. As she was rummaging through the stuff, she suddenly had a clear memory of Jake Deacon catching hell from his people because he had waited for her. They were even more angry at the fact that she was leaving again, just a few hours after their camp was raized by two different small herds.

Hakima shook her head to get rid of the memory. Sheep to the slaughter, all of them! Taking on mothers with children and then staying in one place, hoping for the best. He knows better! He knows better!

Mumbling incoherently to herself, Hakima became more violent in her search, throwing things away from her with wild eratic moves. She had totally forgotten why she was searching through the stuff in the first place.

It was hopeless.

Burrying her face in her hands, she cried. It seemed to come from her toes and it sapped all her strength and energy.

I'm so alone!

Emily.

Emily!

EMILY!

Hakima let herself fall on her side and curled up in a fetal position.

Then darkness.

Finally darkness.

Hakima woke up to a remarkably clear brain. She had no clue for how long she had been sleeping, but she felt elated. It seemed to be early morning, it was chilly and it rained lightly. She crawled out of her shelter and raised her face into the falling rain, sticking out her tongue to catch raindrops on it.

The rain ran tracks through the layer of dirt on her face and allover her body. Hakima couldn't remember when it was last she had even worn clean clothes. She had tried to take off her tanktop a few days back, but it stuck to her skin. It had hurt when she tried to take it off anyway, so she had given up on that.

The rain felt good. The chill in the air had never been so welcome before and Hakima's heart beat so hard and fast that it felt like her heart wanted to burst out of her chest. She started to twirl around her axis. Slow at first, then faster and faster till she lost her balance and stumbled to a knee.

She started to get up, but the vertigo brought her to a knee again. She had more luck the second time.

Standing up straight again, she had calmed down some. She stood there for a few minutes, heaving and looking at nothing. But her eyes weren't empty and a smile was playing on her lips.

"Emily...", Hakima murmered, "...I love you. Allah forgive me, I love you! There, I said it! I love you, you hear!"

It was so good to have it out in the open. It was so good to not be ashamed anymore. It was peaceful and the storm in her head was slowly backing off. Now all she had to do was to find Emily and confess her love. Emily would be so happy! Hakima had no clue where Jake Deacon had taken the group, but they couldn't be far away. Deacon was schlepping through the state with a bunch of whiney bitches. How far could he have gotten?

Hakima spotted her weekender. Her Glock was right next to it and there was also a bayonet, but she could not remember where she had gotten it, of who she had taken it from. The bayonet sported a brass-knuckle grip and there were short, sharp spikes on the knuckles. The weekender was important to her in some part of her brain. She swung it over her left shoulder and stuck her Glock in a back-pocket of her capri-jeans. The bayonet she stuck in a pocket on her weekender, where she could easily reach it.

Without looking back, she left the camp behind.

It still took her three days of avoiding walkers before she found the first sign of Deacon's caravan passing. Before that she had murdered a young couple for their food, but mostly because they had never heard of Emily. They had nougat-chocolat bars on them and that had lifted Hakima's spirit.

The sign was a car she recognized as the car the Barkers drove. At first she ran to it, but then she noticed that the car was riddled with bullets. It jogged her brain and she saw flashes of people in camouflage-uniforms, running to cover and carrying rifles. Something clicked within Hakima and she slowed down. Another vision washed over Hakima. She saw herself, also wearing camo, laying prone and bringing an AM-rifle to bear. She saw herself firing the rifle, calm and professional, pumping round after round into a structure that could've been a school. Maybe.

Hakima giggled, "Hey! That's me! Cool!"

Without giving it thought, Hakima automatically lowered into a crouch and readied her gun. In some weird way, she was totally aware of her surroundings.

"Easy does it...", Hakima murmered, "Close in from the back, scan, don't stare and keep moving foreward. You can do this, girl, remember your training."

Another vision briefly overwhelmed her, a sensation more like. The morning after the Atlanta-purge. The overpowering stench, the burned bodies in the streets that were somehow still alive or coming back to live.

Hakima shivered. She had to stop for a moment. It was too powerful.

"No no no. Not now. Go away, go away! I only want to be with Emily, why can't you see that? Please... I filed it all away. All away..."

After a few moments, the confusion passed and Hakima was able to carry on. By the time she reached the car, she was perfectly sure she was the only living being in the immedeate area capable of conscious thought. Well, almost capable.

Totally calm now, she stood upright. Her gunhand hung relaxed at her side, holding her Glock as if it could slip from her grip at any moment. Hakima peered into the car.

"Hello Barkers. Fancy meeting you guys here. Such a nice day, don't you agree? I hope you guys didn't miss me too much. Ain't it a bitch? Surviving a herd and then staying alive on the road only to get shot up? You guys should try psychosis. I don't remember much, but I'm still here. What's that? Oh, yeah, I know, I know. No one wants to die. I mean, who would want that? That's seriously fucked up. I mean, get help, right? So the drama. I wanna die, I wanna die. Seriously not cool. I think I lost it, though, if I can be honest with you folks. I see dead people everywhere and I don't know where they come from! I try to avoid them and that works! I'm so relieved, because how crazy do you have to get to see dead people? I know right? I think that Jake busted my nose. Can you see if it is out of whack, Princess?", Hakima waited for an answer and got a bit impatient when she got none, "You know, that's just rude, Princess. I know we never talked, but you could at least lie and tell me my face is still symetrical. Oh, you're dead. Sorry. Forget I said anything. I meant no offense. Nate, is he... I see. Hi Nate! Who's a heartless bitch now, eh? At least mine is still beating. Is whatshisface, your son, dead too? Say no more. Well, I hope you weren't saving him to matchmake him to me, you know. What are you holding on to, Princess? Were you writing a letter while you got shot up? Who does that? Mind if I take a look at it? I'm somewhat of a grammar-nazi, you know."

Hakima gingerly took the piece of paper from Princess' decaying hand and studied it. It was very confusing to her and no matter how she tried, she could not make heads or tails out of it.

_H._

_This is a long shot. Bandits. Only me, E, S and C and family left. Heading east. Hate to write this down, but we need you._

_Tailpipe._

_JD._

Hakima hated herself for not understanding it. Reading shouldn't be thát hard. She slapped herself in the face a few times and tried again. She told herself that it had been a while since she had last read something and that she was rusty. She tried again. Then she tried to read the letter out loud and made some progress.

"Tailpipe... I can read that word! Tailpipe! TAILPIIIPE! WOOH!"

After a little happy dance, Hakima calmed down a bit, "But why?" She stood there for a long time, repeating 'tailpipe' to herself. She shook her head. All kinds of thoughts and memories were in her damaged mind and none of them to the point at that.

Her father teaching her the Qu'ran and showing her how to worship. The detention-hall in high-school. Tomfoolery with her fellow-marines in a firebase. Then Jake Deacon.

He parked his rental near a motel, a few hours driving away from base. He turned to a person sitting in the passenger-seat and said something. They got out of the car and Jake locked it.

Hakima giggled again, "I remember that! You took me on a trip. To see the world's biggest pumpkin... You... You... I should hate you... Hate you... The car-keys!"

Hakima remembered how Jake had taken something from the trunk of the rental, how he had locked the trunk and then shoved the car-keys into the car's tailpipe. She hurried back to the rear of the Barker's car, dropped on all fours and then she frantically tried to get the car-keys from the car's tailpipe. Successful, she scurried back to her feet and ran her fingers over the car-keys while impatiently jumping up and down.

"Not you... not you... you!"

Opening the trunk was a job and a half because Hakima's hands shook violently. She tried holding the keys with both hands and it frustrated her to no end. By the time that she finally had the trunk unlocked and loose, Hakima was sobbing like a little girl. She janked the lid up and it was as if she was struck by lightning.

"I... I... Don't do this to me! It's not fair! It's not fair, you hear me!"

She looked at the letter Jake had left for her and now she had no trouble reading and understanding it.

"Motherfucker...", she murmered as understanding set in, "You got everybody killed. And now you're shifting the blame to me."

Hakima reached into the trunk and took a sniper-rifle away from it. She inspected it with trained eyes and hands as if it was only yesterday she had held a sniper-rifle like the one she was holding now, "Okay, Jake. If this is how you wanna play it, I'll bite. It's not going to end well."


	13. Roman holliday

**13. Roman holliday**

Four days in which Hakima followed the direction of Jake's caravan eastwards and in which she lost her grip on reality a few times, ended with her stumbling upon a corpse she recognized. She went to a knee next the corpse and studied it for a while.

"Oh, Scooter. Don't be angry you're dead. Whoever killed you, they made sure you wouldn't come back. Jake's long shot paid off, damn him, I'm here now. Why did they kill-kill you? Who cares to do that if they're not going to stick around to see it happen? Did they camp near by? Come on, Scooter, you can tell me. It's not like they left anything of you that I can kill again. Fine, be that way."

In the faint hope Jake would have left another note behind, Hakima searched Scooter's corpse. She came up empty handed.

"I hope you meet someone slow enough to fall for your dazzling good looks in the afterlife, Scooter. Take care."

It was not hard to find the spot where Scooter's killers had camped. It was cleverly hidden between a group of trees, but as Hakima had figured, close by enough to the explain the headshot on Scooter's bullet-ridden corpse.

"It must have gotten dark...", Hakima murmered, "They were further away from their main-camp than they normally would've been... They must be running low on food and supplies..."

Hakima closed her eyes and placed the palm of her right hand to her forehead.

"Think, Hakima, think. Where's Cleetus' truck? Are these the same bandits that attacked the Barker's? Fuck, I'm smarter than this, how much sound did they make?"

Hakima scanned for a tree she could easily climb in and out off and found one near the edge of the camp she liked. Climbing high enough to get a wide view of the area, she looked around. The first thing she saw was a road and Cleetus'truck, seemingly abandoned, but with the hood up. Looking down into the camp, she saw a walker laying on it's belly, in a weird position. It looked like it was strapped down. Looking away from the road and into the field, she saw the spot where Scooter lay dead. In the far distance, all around, she saw silhouettes moving, but none of them appeared to move in the direction of the deserted day-camp.

"Scooter tried to escape! Why did Jake surrender to the bandits? I don't get it. I told him, didn't I? I told him, I told him."

Hakima remained in the tree for what seemed like hours. She wasn't really sure. Reality mixed with surreal images and she was hearing things.

"Cease fire! Cease fire!", sounded a stressed out voice in her headset. Hakima and her spotter were prone on a roof almost a block away from their objective. She had a good view of it and fired of a round each time she noticed as much as the slightest movement in there.

"Left, one row down.", her spotter said without looking away from his binoculars.

"See it."

-Fwoom-

"Still moving."

"Tough bastards.", Hakima remarked.

-Fwoom-

"Whisper, cease fire, goddamnit!", sounded the same stressed out voice in her headset again.

"Enemy is confirmed to be in there, LT", Haki returned.

"Weapon's fire, to the right."

"See it."

-Fwoom-

"Shouldn't we cease fire now? We got three extra shots in and the LT is getting an apoplexy down there."

"Nothing will come of it. Help me spot the last motherfucker."

"Whisper, you fucking bitch, I'll have you court-martialed! Cease fire!"

"Movement, right above last target."

"See it."

-Fwoom-

Hakima let go of her rifle and lazily rose to her feet. She switched channels on her radio and spoke leisurely, "Mission accomplished, coming home."

"Well done, Whisper, report for debriefing upon first change."

The spotter looked at Hakima with genuine surprise on his face, "What the flying fuck?"

Hakima killed her radio and smiled at her spotter, "I hate Jemen."

Hakima was packing a weekender, sitting in her bunk. She was quite happy with herself. There was some commotion and Lieutenant Deacon bursted in. Other people in the dorm made themselves scarce as Jake walked over to Hakima's bunk. Hakima, with her back to him, rolled her eyes.

"I know you're rolling your eyes, Gunay."

"So now I'm Gunay, huh?"

"What's this crap of writing your own ops?"

"Here we go..."

Jake grabbed Hakima by the neck and dragged her away from her bunk and in the open.

"Now you show me some respect, Corporal."

"Sheesh, motherfuck. I don't need this."

"Ever heard of protocol? Chain of command mean anything to you?"

"Colonel Withersby appreciates my expertice. I have five days of Italy in my pocket to back it up."

"Yeah, for some reason totally beyond my comprehension, you can do no wrong with the man and you're milking it for it's worth, aren't you?"

"Get used to it. It isn't the first time I got my own orders. And if those orders mean hot summernights in Rome, I'm allover it."

"You butchered a school for five days leave?!"

"I eliminated the enemy to get away from this hellhole.", Hakima stepped closer to Jake and cooed, "Roooome."

Still in the tree, Hakima shook her head to clear away the memory. She was proud with herself since it had been a clear memory that hadn't tried to drive her more insane than she already was. No stuff of horror, just a memory any person could have had.

She came down from the tree and collected her bayonet from her weekender. She went to inspect the weird walker that she had spotted.

"Oh no... Billy-Mae..."

Hakima looked at the walker, that was laying on her belly, strapped down over a tree-tunk. It was gagged and a pair of daisy-dukes were around her knees. There were multiple stab-wounds in the unlucky girl's back, but the attackers had not bothered to mercy-kill Billy-Mae.

Strapped down as the former Billy-Mae was, moving was impossible.

"They butchered you in the morning, didn't they? I never did learn what your major was... I hope it wasn't communications, because that would be ironic, what with that gag and all. For what it is worth, I'm sorry you and your folks listened to Jake. You deserve to live. Good luck, Billy-Mae."

Hakima turned away from the former Billy-Mae and returned to her weekender and the rest of her gear that she had put down when climbed the tree earlier. After collecting her gear Hakima made her way to Cleetus' abandoned truck, while putting the bayonet back in its pocket on the weekender.

"Hey, that no-killing thing does feel good.", Hakima murmered and her face broke into a big smile, "I should try it more often."


	14. A letter from beyond

**14. A letter from beyond**

As she came closer to Cleetus' pick-up, Hakima noticed that there were two figures in the cab. She was sure that they hadn't been there when she saw the pick-up from her spot in the tree. Hakima halted and her right hand slowly went to the bayonet.

Peering cautiously into the cab of the pick-up, she saw the bodies of Cleetus and Mable. There was nothing in the way that they were positioned that indicated they knew what happened to them. The windshield had many holes in it. Cleetus and Mable were shot in the head from the sides.

"Ambushed."

A quick look in the back confirmed her earlier suspicion. The truck was picked clean. Returning back to the front and looking under the hood, Hakima saw that the battery was gone, along with a lot of stuff that would make for nice spare-parts.

"Not just a simple supply-grab... They're in a good defendable position, probably fortified and are making a go of it. Not looking to add to their numbers, too. But the truck still has it's tires... Could it be they ran out of time? On some sort of a mission-timer, maybe?"

Hakima rounded the truck to Mable's side and opened the cab. She tried to open the glovecompartment, but it was locked.

"They ignored the glovecompartment... Makes sense... No reason to believe someone would hide a weapon in there in these times and looking for cash is also a waste of time. I need a map of the state. I hope Cleetus stuck one in there, he never really struck me as a GPS kinda guy."

At first, Hakima wanted to break the glove-compartment open with her bayonet, but then she saw that the keys were still in the ignition. It made her life a lot easier.

There was no map of the state in there, but she did find an unopened roll of sweets, a twinkie and a curious envelope that said "Little Lady" on the front. The handwriting was clean and free of artsy frills. The dot on the 'i' was a dot and the capital letter 'L' was a capital letter 'L'. It was Cleetus' handwriting, all right.

Hakima absent mindedly removed the wrapper from the twinkie and nibbled on it. Cleetus wrote a letter to her. Weird.

"I should read it.., it's the right thing to do.", Hakima murmered between mousebites off the twinkie. Taking care not to mash the twinkie between her fingers, Hakima gingerly broke the envelope open and took the letter out, "Good thing I remembered how to read..."

_Little Lady,_

_Should you ever read this, then you're still alive and I'm with the Lord. I wrote this letter after Deacon left a note for you a couple of days ago. He said it was a long shot you'd ever come across it, but it made sense to me. In that vein I wrote this letter to you._

_You should know that your decision to leave was in my opinion the wrong one. I believed you were a gift from the Lord, but I was wrong._

_Deacon leads us to the best of his ability, but he misses your selfishness._

_For what it is worth,we were safer with you than without you. The world needs her Saints, but balance suggests we should pray for an Angel of Death._

_Yours,_

_Cleetus._

Hakima carefully folded the letter back into the envelope and stuck it in her weekender. She inspected the twinkie she was holding, wishing she hadn't discarded the wrapper. She had half of the twinkie left. Sighingly, she threw the half-eaten twinkie from her and leaned into to cab.

"Ah, Cleetus. Opinions are like assholes."

Hakima straightened herself and turned away from the truck. Having eaten a little, she felt better and the feeling that she was in some kind of dreamworld was easing up. Hakima felt she was beating whatever it was that had haunted her for the longest time since she had made a go of it on her own.

Hakima's eye fell on the half-eaten twinkie on the ground.

"Fuck it."

She gathered up the twinkie and started walking.


	15. Of things unspeakable

**15. Of things unspeakable.**

Jake lay bound on the ground in the middle of the bandit-camp. A little distance away from was a campfire at which a group of bandits were taking turns with Emily. At first she had fought and screamed for her dad, but then she had given up and just layed there as the bandits repeatedly violated her.

The last bandit to violate Emily got up from her and pulled up his pants. Then he pulled out his pistol and aimed it at Emily's head. He spat on the helpless girl and fired.

Emily trashed around under the force of impact, then lay still.

Jake, bound and gagged, was forced to witness the entire ordeal. Blind rage and sadness clouded his vision as he was powerless to do anything but watching it happen. When he saw his daughter get murdered he passed out.

Jake's affair with Hakima was a public secret. He was told to knock it off, but Hakima had a pull on him he couldn't break free off. His unit hated him and unwillingly followed his orders. 'Whisper' as they called Hakima, was their mascotte, one of them. They loved her brazenness, her foul mouth and her willingness to do anything, from flat out murdering anything between her and her objective to showing her womanhood in a game of truth or dare to prove that she, indeed, shaved bald eagle.

"Kill him, Whisper!"

Jake turned to where he heard Hakima's nick called out. He went over to the source and saw Hakima steadying a pistol with two hands aiming at a figure in the far distance.

"Idunno, 'Dirty' Sanchez, he's pretty far out."

"Slap on your ass says you can do it!"

Hakima giggled, "Deal.", and fired.

In the distance, the figure staggered and lost balance. The figure tried to get up, but slumped back to the ground and stopped moving.

"GO WHISPER!", Sanchez cheered and slapped Hakima's ass.

"Wooh! Ouch! Hey, one slap, Dirty!", and to the rest of the unit, "Saw that guys? That has to be a record! Should've bet the farm on that one!"

It all had gone down before Jake had been able to stop it and it took a moment for him to realise what just had happened. Someone in his unit had just murdered someone for a slap on the ass.

Jake grabbed Hakima by her flakvest, easily lifted her up and smacked her to the ground. There was a lot of shouting and confusion. Sanchez grabbed Hakima by the collar and pulled her away from the other Marines who were struggling to restrain their Lieutenant.

Jake calmed down and collected himself, "Fall out."

His unit trailed by a few steps. They were smart enough to cool their jets for a while and kept silent as they closed the distance to where the figure was that Hakima had shot.

The scenery changed to an airport. In the big hall Jake, his wife Susanne the former Miss Atlanta and his daughter Emily were standing near the exit-gate for the next flight to Atlanta.

"Please don't do this, Susanne. We can work this out.", he pleaded.

Emily just stood there being teenagey awkward, but his wife was pretending not to see or hear her husband's desperate pleas.

"How can we work this out, Jake?", Susanne eventually asked, "Do we offer your girlfriend a room in the house and I get you on the even days, is that it?"

"I'll end it, seriously, I can't lose you! I'll make sure she understands I choose for my family."

"You promised us that before she came to Hawaii for repeat-training."

"I never..."

"Stop! If you're going to lie to me, at least destroy the pictures and videos on your smartphone."

"I..."

"I don't understand you, Jake. What are you even doing with that slut in some of those pictures? She looks like she's barely half your age. If you were just eating icecream in a park with her, I could chalk it down it down to a friendship between two Marines and learn to live with it. You ruined your career, okay fine, at least they kept you on as an instructor. But you just can't let her go and I won't be humiliated any longer. That girl, because that's what she is, a girl, a YOUNG girl, will ruin everything you have, everything you are and everything you've worked for. Say good-bye to your father, Emily, before we miss the plane."

Jake just stood there, beaten silent.

Emily fidgetted and said, "Bye, dad."

"Bye, sweetheart..."

Susanne grabbed Emily by the wrist and dragged her with. As they disappeared into the gate, only Emily looked back.

The scenery changed to a dirty motelroom. Jake opened his suitcase and took a pistol from it, inspecting it. Hakima had taken everything from him. Respect from the men, gone. Career in shambles. Served divorce-papers not too long ago. Hakima with her sick ideas, always mocking him, goading him along, deeper and deeper into the unmeasurable depths of her dark mind.

Her arabic mysteriousness as she let her hair down, hiding her face behind it, her voice getting haughtier with anticipation, the sweat running down her toned body.

Jake wanted it gone.

He couldn't understand where he went from hating the uncontrollable Marine to falling in love with her. She was everything he was not. He knew Hakima was a petty-criminal gangbanger before she enlisted, but that she was never arrested for any of it. He knew she ignored all rules, all laws, all decency and morality.

The only thing that mattered to Hakima was Hakima. And she was out there making the most of it.

Not anymore.

No more battlefield attrocities celebrated as a victory, no more cease fires ignored, no more villagers butchered just because Hakima needed a clear field of vision on the objective. No more units poisoned by her venom, no more sick sex-games.

A plan formed in Jake's mind. He would get Hakima to a remote place, empty his pistol into her and surrender to the police. If the chain of command wouldn't court-martial her, then he would have to do it, before she signed a new contract. Or before she would return to her gang and start a gangwar in Atlanta. His ex-wife and daughter were there!

Jake saw no other way. Hakima had to die and he would gladly go to prison for it. He would co-operate fully and plead guilty. His mind was made up.

Jake was brought to with slaps to the face delivered by a bandit wearing a Clint Eastwood hat.

"Hey pops, it couldn't have been that boring to watch. We're like artists, sensitive. Falling asleep during performance-art is insulting. Anyway, my friends and I wanted to thank you for the present. She was a bit young, but hey, old enough to drive, old enough to fuck."

Over by the campfire, other bandits laughed over those words.

Jake fought to no avail against his restraints and gag. It was as if he heard Hakima talking through the mouth of the Clint Eastwood-hat wearing bandit. It was eery.

Jake gave up struggling and murmered something in his gag.

"Hm? I can't hear you, pops, speak up.", The bandit shifted position to loosen the gag and the back of his skull exploded. As in slow-motion, the bandit was thrown backwards, his hat flying high.

The other bandits were taken by surprise and fell victim one after the other. It was just like all the other firefights Jake had witnessed. Too one-sided to even deserve the name firefight. It had been a 10 second brutal slaughter with the outcome already known before it even had started.

Hakima had found the sniper-rifle and she had come.

Jake closed his eyes. Hakima had come too late.


	16. The girl and the damned

**16. The girl and the damned**

When Jake opened his eyes again he saw the dirtiest woman ever standing in front of him. Strands of caked together raven hair hung in her face, but that didn't hide the tears streaming freely down her cheeks, making tracks in the layer of filth on them. Jake realised Hakima was keeping her pistol pointed at him, apperently deciding on whether or not she would kill Jake.

The only thing Jake was able to do was shaking his head like a maniac, so that's what he did.

Hakima blinked and lowered her gun, "You're such a schoolgirl..."

Then she kneeled down before Jake and freed him of his gag, but left him tied up otherwise.

"Emily!", he said coughinly, "My baby... they killed her."

Hakima snapped her fingers against Jake's forehead to get his attention, "Thanks for the guilt-trip back there, Jake. I really enjoyed it."

"I needed you to find us, Haki. When the Barkers got attacked, I saw no other way."

"No, you needed to shift the blame, to tell yourself that it was on me and not on you. You failed at leading professionals in the field, you failed just as hard with civilians that depended on you."

"What was I supposed to do, Haki? Tell me, what was I supposed to do?"

"You should have taken Cleetus and Scooter and wipe out every bandit between here and Meccah. That's what you are supposed to have done."

"That's not the way, Haki, there's got to be another way."

Hakima slapped Jake hard, "You still believe that? You own daughter paid the price for it and you still believe that? Not a scratch on you, but you sacrifice Emily for some lofty ideal? And I'm fucked up?"

"Ha-"

"-Shut up. You got Emily killed. You got everyone killed. I bet you even sat and watched Billy-Mae get violated time and time again before she was finally killed off too?"

Jake didn't answer and Hakima shook her head at him with dripping contempt in her eyes.

"I learned a lot.", Hakima spoke tonelessly, "Did you know that you turn when you die and your brain is intact? Whatever is causing the walkers, it's airborne."

Jake got a sinking feeling that something bad was going to happen, "I know, Haki. Listen-"

"-What?", Hakima cut in, "You're going to negociate with me? Plea for your life? Here's is what's going to happen. I'm going to kill you and you'll turn, still tied like you are right now. And your living corpse will watch your daughter decompose. And then your living corpse will sit there for all eternity. I hope that it retains a little of you in there and that you'll scream for release for a thousand years."

Hakima scratched her nose and looked at Jake. He looked into her eyes and it was as if Hakima suddenly remembered who he was.

"You know,", Hakima giggled, ".., one of these days, all of this is going to end."

"No!", Jake screamed, "No!"

Hakima killed Jake with a direct shot to the heart.

"Heh, he couldn't even be a man about that."

Hakima rose to her feet and collected her gear, including the Clint Eastwood-hat, which she placed on her head. She started walking without looking back at either Jake, the bandits or Emily. Slow at first, but then she picked up the pace. A smile came to her face. She was alive and they were not. Her head was clear and a world full of stuff to kill spread out before her as willingly as a prostitute who realised that her trick was a millionaire.

By the time Jake turned, Hakima was long gone and far away.

**Thank you so much for reading, it is much appreciated.**

**Now working on:**

**TWD: Hakima 2; Angel of Death.**


End file.
